As the U.S. cuts federal research funding and infrastructure, European countries are strategizing ways to attract top scientific talent, with the Netherlands government setting up a fund designed to do just that.
The country wants to launch financing for the efforts as soon as possible, according to a March 20 letter penned by Netherlands’ Education Minister Eppo Bruins, as cited by Reuters.
"There is currently a great global demand for international top scientific talent,” Bruins wrote in the letter. “At the same time, the geopolitical climate is changing, which is currently increasing the international mobility of scientists.”
Separately, 12 European countries came together to brainstorm ways in which they could appeal to researchers in the U.S.
The countries want to attract talent from abroad "who might suffer from research interference and ill-motivated and brutal funding cuts," according to a letter to the European Commission and viewed by Politico.
The letter was signed by Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, according to Politico.
"It is urgent ... to organize ourselves to welcome talents who would like or need to leave the United States," French Research Minister Philippe Baptiste told Politico.
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In other countries, such as Belgium, universities are opening up positions for international researchers. The Free University Brussels announced 12 postdoctoral positions "with a specific focus on American scholars." The fellowships come with $2.7 million (€2.5 million).
The Belgium university is also providing 18 apartments for international researchers seeking temporary residence at the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies, according to the release.
The efforts are in “response to the alarming political interference in academic research by the Trump administration in the U.S.” according to the release.
"Our university is freeing up funds and establishing a dedicated contact point for American researchers who want to continue their work in Brussels," the university leader Jan Danckaert said in the release. "U.S. universities and their scholars are the biggest victims of this political and ideological interference. They are seeing millions in research funding disappear for ideological reasons.”
Danckaert said the Brussel school has also been impacted, citing the recent cancellation of two research projects in collaboration with U.S. partners due to “changed policy priorities.”
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Since President Donald Trump took office in January, his administration has rolled out several cost-cutting initiatives, including plans to centralize grant reviews and terminating grants that involve certain topics, such as LGBTQ+ health issues and other matters of diversity, equity and inclusion.
The White House also has enacted a measure designed to slash about $4 billion from NIH grants. The cuts center around "indirect costs,” such as funds for facilities, equipment and administrative expenses.
Three federal lawsuits were swiftly filed against the NIH, with plaintiffs arguing that the agency’s actions were unlawful and would result in irreparable harm.
Despite federal orders banning efforts to slash grant payments while the lawsuits are ongoing, the agency has still been terminating grants across the country, according to several reports.
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