France, EU Lure US Researchers With Nearly $567 Million Incentives Amid Trump's Academic Funding Cuts

In response to the academic funding cuts in the U.S. under President Donald Trump, France and the EU are preparing to roll out incentives to attract U.S.-based researchers to Europe.

What Happened: French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are set to announce incentives for researchers considering a move to Europe.

The announcement, scheduled to be made at Sorbonne University in Paris, comes at a time when U.S. academics fear their work is under threat due to federal spending cuts and scrutiny of diversity policies in US higher education institutions, reported the Guardian.

The “Choose Europe for science” initiative was launched in response to a letter from 13 European countries, including France, Germany, and Spain, urging the EU to accelerate efforts to attract academic talent. France had previously launched a similar initiative, “Choose France for science”, in April.

According to Le Monde France, von der Leyen announced at Paris’s Sorbonne University that the European Union will introduce a new 500 million euro ($567 million) incentives package to make the bloc “a magnet for researchers.”

The European Commission stated, “We have to offer the right incentives.” 

Macron criticized restrictions on scientific research, calling them a major mistake by a leading democracy, and emphasized France's refusal to let governments dictate research topics. He also announced upcoming proposals to boost France's investment in science and research.

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Why It Matters: The Trump administration’s stringent budget cuts have significantly impacted the U.S. education sector. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES), responsible for overseeing $800 million in education research, has been hit hard, with numerous contracts terminated by the Trump administration.

This has raised concerns about the future of education policy and data collection in the U.S.

Moreover, the Trump administration suspended $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University after it refused to comply with demands to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and screen international students for ideological concerns. This move has put nearly $9 billion in federal funding at risk.

These developments have created an opportunity for Europe to attract academic talent from the U.S. However, despite these efforts, the U.S. continues to outpace Europe in research investment, including private-public partnerships.

The expectation is that the pay gap between scientists in France and the U.S. will appear smaller when factoring in France’s lower education and healthcare costs, along with its more generous social benefits.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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