The Trump administration’s drastic funding cuts to universities and research institutions in the US have left thousands of scientists and researchers in a state of limbo. European agencies and research institutions are rushing in to woo them with promises of grants and work visas, but filling the void won’t be easy.
US President Donald Trump has proposed slashing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget by 40%, the National Science Foundation’s by 55%, NASA by 24%, and NOAA by 74%. The cuts have resulted in lay-offs, hiring freezes, and revoked grants at several universities. Researchers like Dr. Silvi Rouskin, who immigrated to the US from Bulgaria, are struggling to find work due to the cuts.
Rouskin’s lab at Harvard Medical School has seen three of her students lose awards, and one of her own awards was terminated. She collaborates with over 20 labs across the US, but the funding cuts have made it difficult for her to support her students. The administration’s attempts to block foreign students from Harvard have left her students in a precarious position.
The US previously dedicated billions of dollars to research, attracting top minds like Albert Einstein and Hans Bethe. However, the sharp U-turn implemented by the Trump administration may allow Europe to partially recover from decades of brain-drain. Universities and research funders are trying to capitalize on America’s current anti-science stance, offering grants and work visas to attract researchers stuck in limbo.
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced inflationary grants for senior scientists, while the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm has launched a “task force” to admit more talent. The Aix-Marseille University in France has announced a €15 million initiative to attract researchers from the US.
However, experts warn that filling the void won’t be easy. Dr. Eric Solary of the French ARC Foundation for Cancer Research says that while attracting foreign talent is beneficial, European research itself is underfunded. “We need the papers to circulate… We need the circulation of data and we need the analysis of that data.”
The loss of federal funds for scientific research in the US would be a net loss for the world, according to Rouskin. “Defunding critically important research with the potential to improve human health and save lives will cause long-term damage on multiple fronts.”
Source: https://www.france24.com/en/science/20250527-reversing-brain-drain-can-europe-successfully-woo-scientists-amid-us-research-cuts-trump