The U.S. may be heading towards an alarming brain drain, a condition that is normally associated with other countries where employment opportunities for the intellectual elite are scarce and America’s bounty beckons. This time, the flow may be moving in reverse.
After massive cuts in federal funding for scientific research by the Trump Administration, thousands of scientists in the United States have lost jobs or grants. In response, governments and universities in other countries are trying to attract them through targeted initiatives. Canada launched the Canada Leads program, France inaugurated Safe Place for Science, and Australia activated the Global Talent Attraction Program. The Max Planck Society in Germany and the Institut de Génétique in France are also actively engaged in recruitment. The common goal is to attract young U.S. researchers by offering competitive salaries and ensuring favorable conditions for academic freedom.
“The whole world loses if American science goes out,” said Patrick Cramer, president of the Max Planck Society.
Since World War II, the United States has invested considerable sums in scientific research, both through universities and federal agencies, becoming the leading global scientific power. Today, however, that system has been severely downsized by the policies of the current president.
“The Trump administration is spending its first months reviewing the previous administration’s plans, identifying waste and realigning research spending to meet the priorities of the American people and continue our innovative dominance,” said Kush Desai, White House spokeswoman.
The White House budget proposal for next year calls for cutting funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by about 40 percent and to the National Science Foundation by 55 percent.
Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science, pointed out that U.S. research has so far led to the invention of key technologies such as cell phones and the Internet, as well as new methods to treat cancer, heart disease and strokes.
Anna-Maria Arabia, president of the Australian Academy of Sciences, commented, “In response to what is happening in the United States, we see an unprecedented opportunity to attract some of the brightest minds to our country.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said this month that the European Union intends to “enshrine freedom of scientific research in law.” Her words came at the launch of the Choose Europe for Science initiative.
Eric Berton, president of Aix-Marseille University, added, “Our U.S. colleagues are not particularly motivated by money. What they want, above all, is to be able to continue doing research in an environment that guarantees full academic freedom.”
