The increasingly hostile climate for academic research under the US’s Trump administration is encouraging US researchers to relocate to Europe with significant benefits for European research.
According to a recent article in Politico, a call for applications to a multimillion euro EU Research Council programme saw a fivefold increase in US-based applicants seeking to pursue their research in European institutions. The article explains that this is a big win for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has personally driven efforts to attract researchers from the US, as Europe is now seen as a safe haven of academic freedom, in the face of the Trump administration’s cuts to academic programmes back home.
Increases in funds for US researchers relocating to Europe now means they are eligible for up to €4.5 million in funding over up to 5 years. In the latest application round, which closed in August, there were 114 applications from the US, a 400% increase on 2024, while the total number of proposals has increased by 31%, from 2,534 to 3,329, 240 of which came from Spain.
President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Heinz Faßmann, is quoted as saying, of US researchers, “They are bringing new ideas, new perspectives, and international networks. This is a great gain for Austrian science and an important boost for the visibility of our research location abroad….Thanks to Trump we are seeing this brain gain.”
Read the full article at Politico here.
Here at St George’s we are seeing an increase in worshippers from an Episcopalian and other US church backgrounds. If you are reading this article and looking for a spiritual home here in Malaga, please come on Sunday and introduce yourself to our Chaplain or another member of the team. You will be very welcome.