A growing number of U.S. scientists are fleeing restrictive policies under Trump and finding support in Europe, where institutions are rolling out the red carpet for displaced talent.
Fred Schwaller reports for DW.
In short:
- The Trump administration’s mass layoffs and censorship at U.S. science agencies have triggered a wave of uncertainty, with many researchers now jobless or facing restrictions on climate, vaccine, and gender-related research.
- Institutions like Germany’s Max Planck Society and France’s Aix-Marseille University are actively recruiting U.S. scientists, with applications reportedly doubling or tripling in some cases.
- Europe, China, and South Korea are all moving to streamline visa and funding systems to lure U.S. researchers, while protests across the U.S. and Europe call attention to science’s global interconnectedness.
Key quote:
“We can suddenly recruit talent that we would not have been able to attract under normal circumstances.”
— Patrick Cramer, president of the Max Planck Society
Why this matters:
Scientific brain drain weakens public health, climate research, and disease preparedness — areas critical to human wellbeing. When top scientists are pushed out of U.S. institutions, it’s not just a national loss; global research networks suffer, and public trust in science takes another hit.
Read more: An open letter from EPA staff to the American public
