European leaders unveiled a new initiative Monday to entice U.S. scientists to bring their expertise across the Atlantic. They’re calling it “Choose Europe for Science,” and it will allocate €500 million ($565 million U.S.) over the next three years to “make Europe a magnet for researchers” from around the world.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke at Sorbonne University in France to announce the effort Monday. And while neither mentioned President Donald Trump by name, his government’s destruction of scientific research funding in the U.S. was clearly the impetus for all of it.
“We must not downplay what is at stake today. No one could have imagined a few years ago that one of the world’s largest democracies would abolish research programs on the grounds that there was the word ‘diversity’ in their programs,” Macron said, according to an English translation.
Trump has launched a war against what he calls DEI efforts, which has meant that even the mention of terms like “transgender” or “LGBT” have been purged from public health websites. High-ranking and well-qualified officials who are not white men have also been shown the door. And while the White House insists it’s all about “restoring” meritocracy to the U.S., its real purpose is to resegregate American society, starting with the military and federal agencies.
The White House has absolutely decimated scientific research in the U.S. within just three short months. The Trump regime has terminated billions of dollars in research grants at the Department of Health and Human Services as well as the National Science Foundation. But it’s not just the money that Trump is unilaterally pulling that experts are concerned about. Trump has also asked for dramatic cuts in his budget proposal to make further cuts of nearly 50% at NIH and CDC with the help of Congress. The cuts are expected to significantly set back scientific research in the U.S. by not just years but generations. And Europeans are betting that scientists who want to continue their work may look overseas.
Macron talked Monday about how important science is to liberal democracies, making a reference to a recent incident in the U.S. “No one could have imagined that one of the world’s greatest democracies could, in one fell swoop, strike out the possibility of obtaining a visa for a researcher,” Macron said, referring to a French researcher who was denied entry into the U.S. over private text messages criticizing Trump.
The EU’s von der Leyen made similar verbal gestures to the U.S. without uttering Trump’s name and the country’s descent into fascism. “Unfortunately, as your discussions have shown today, the role of science in today’s world is questioned,” von der Leyen said. “The investment in fundamental, free and open research is questioned. What a gigantic miscalculation. I believe that science holds the key to our future here in Europe.”
The $565 million announced Monday for the “Choose Europe for Science” effort will be added to the European Research Council, which von der Leyen noted “is run not by politicians, but by scientists, for scientists.” She also told the story of Marie Curie, who fled Poland in the late 19th century, then part of the Russian Empire, and landed in Sorbonne, France. It was in France that she was able to become the Nobel Prize-winning scientist the world knows her as today.
“I start with this story, not just because we are here at the Sorbonne, or even because it shows how scientific excellence can change the course of destiny, but because this is also a story of freedom,” said von der Leyen. “Freedom to learn and invent. It is a story about openness, openness to turn ideas into groundbreaking discoveries. And it is a story about collaboration beyond borders.
The EU leader emphasized that freedom and openness “is exactly what Europe and the world now needs more than ever,” adding, “I’m convinced that science remains the fuel of progress and growth for our societies.”
There are obviously historical parallels to what’s happening in the U.S. right now. When fascists took power in Europe during the 1930s, many scientists fled to other countries like the UK, Denmark, and the United States. Italian physicist Bruno Rossi fled Italy in 1938 and landed in the U.S. where he developed radar technology at MIT before working with the Manhattan Project during World War II. And the ascension of the Nazis in Germany caused countless scientists to flee, including Albert Einstein who left in 1932 just before Adolf Hitler took power. A letter found decades later revealed Einstein had a bad feeling about the Nazis as early as 1922, long before Hitler had captured government.
Speaking about the effort to attract scientists from around the world on Monday, von der Leyen didn’t just pat Europe on the back. She acknowledged what she said were regulatory barriers for businesses that wanted to invest in the continent to lead in technological innovation and commercial opportunities.
“This is why we will put forward a first-ever European Innovation Act and a Startup and Scaleup Strategy, to remove regulatory and other barriers, and to facilitate access to venture capital for innovative European startups and scaleups,” said von der Leyen.
Traditional liberal values are driving the outreach by European officials, who want the good guys to ultimately win. Trump and his goons are clearly not the good guys, as anyone who’s studied the history of fascism can see. And while moving halfway around the world is a dramatic thing to do, there are plenty of people who have historically decided to do just that before it was too late.
“We can all agree that science has no passport, no gender, no ethnicity or political party,” von der Leyen said. “And as such, it does play a crucial role in connecting people and creating a shared future in today’s fractured world. We believe that diversity is an asset of humanity and the lifeblood of science. It is one of the most valuable global goods, and it must be protected.”
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