"A Once-in-a-Century Opportunity to Secure Top Talent"
Under the administration of Donald Trump, the United States has drastically reduced its support for science and technology by cutting research budgets and dismantling research institutes, prompting scientific talent to leave the country. As a result, countries around the world are now competing to attract these American-based researchers.
On May 14 (local time), the New York Times (NYT) reported this development in an article titled "The World Courts U.S. Researchers Shunned by Trump."
According to the NYT, the United States has long been the country that attracts the best researchers, scientists, and scholars, making it difficult for other nations to compete for decades. Now, however, these countries see an opportunity to reverse this trend.
Protest against the Trump administration's cuts to research, health, and education budgets held on the 8th of last month. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
The United States has invested heavily in research and development, providing as much as $1 trillion (about 1,404 trillion won) in funding last year alone. High research budgets, competitive salaries, and outstanding research facilities have drawn many talented researchers and scientists to the U.S. However, the atmosphere has changed since President Trump took office. Billions of dollars in funding for research institutes and universities have been cut, and the scope of research topics has been restricted. In particular, strict immigration policies have left foreign researchers and international students in a precarious situation.
According to a survey published in March by the scientific journal Nature, which polled 1,600 scientists, three out of four respondents said they were considering leaving the United States because of the Trump administration's policies.
In response, major countries are introducing various incentives to attract talent leaving the United States.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute stated on May 8 that "this is a once-in-a-century opportunity to secure top talent," urging the government to actively recruit these individuals.
The European Union (EU) announced a comprehensive support plan for scientific research on May 5, named "Choose Europe." To make Europe more attractive to researchers, the EU plans to invest an additional 500 million euros (about 785.6 billion won) over the next two years.
EU member states are also individually seeking to attract U.S. researchers. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will spend $113 million on a program to recruit American researchers. Aix-Marseille University revealed it would provide up to $16.8 million to support 15 foreign researchers, and according to Science magazine, more than 50 applicants have already applied. Paris-Saclay University is also creating five new positions specifically for American researchers.
The Spanish government announced an additional budget of 45 million euros to attract scientists undervalued by the Trump administration. In addition, the United Kingdom plans to spend 50 million pounds (about 93.2 billion won) to support foreign scientists.
The NYT also reported that Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Austria, Ireland, Belgium, Australia, China, and Korea are discussing government-level support programs aimed at attracting U.S.-based researchers.
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