Funding for seven years of research
New ‘super grant’ aims to attract Americans to the EU
Come to Europe, says EU to American academics. photo Pixabay
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a new initiative on Monday at the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris: ‘Choose Europe for science’. Neither America nor Trump were mentioned, but they were present in everything.
Europe can offer top scientists a good life, with accessible education and excellent healthcare, said Von der Leyen. But she wants to attract American researchers with extra money and firmly established academic freedom. They must be able to conduct their research without government interference.
Academic freedom
The EU is emphasising this even more now that Trump is tearing academic freedom apart in his own country. The EU wants to enshrine this freedom of research in a new law, Von der Leyen announced. Details are still lacking.
The EU president is also setting aside extra money to make the EU a ‘magnet’ for researchers. Until 2027, the Commission will make 500 million euros available for scientific research. Officially, this is intended for scientists from within and outside the EU, but here too, the ambition to attract Americans lies just below the surface.
Super grant
The European Research Council (ERC) is setting up a ‘super grant’ with the extra money. The amounts will be higher than other ERC grants, but exactly how high is not yet clear. The grants will fund seven years of research. Scientists from all disciplines and of all nationalities will soon be able to apply for a super grant. Even if they have not yet moved to Europe, the funder emphasises.
Quite a few American scientists are considering this, according to the scientific journal Nature. At the end of March (even before Trump started cutting off funding to Harvard University), three-quarters of the academics surveyed in the US said they were considering moving to Canada or Europe.
Safe space
Of the European countries, France was particularly quick to respond to this sentiment. At the beginning of March, the University of Marseille created a safe space for American scientists. Last Monday, President Macron went one step further during the presentation: he is investing 100 million in high-tech research in the hope of attracting foreign talent. ‘If you love freedom, you should come to Europe and do research here,’ he said.
In the Netherlands, the budget is lower. Here, Education Minister Eppo Bruins has promised 25 million euros, spread over several years. NWO is still looking for additional funds to increase that amount.