EU governments offer ‘scientific asylum’ to US researchers amid Trump’s funding cut News
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EU governments offer ‘scientific asylum’ to US researchers amid Trump’s funding cut

Thirteen EU governments demanded Tuesday that the Union welcome scientists and researchers from abroad, including the United States, who might suffer from momentary research interference. The letter warns that current political developments pose a threat to academic freedom, but also an opportunity for the EU to attract academic quality from abroad.

The letter was endorsed by France, the Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Spain, Slovenia, Germany, Greece and Lithuania. While the document does not expressly address the situation in the United States, it was released in the context of the current US administration targeting “wokeism” in academia. US President Trump’s administration had announced to freeze funding despite a court order for research deemed to involve diversity, certain kinds of vaccines and any mention of the climate crisis in February. However, the defunding of government science agencies has already led to at least 6,000 releases of scientists last month. Native universities which researched the topics mentioned above faced repercussions, such as the University of Pennsylvania, which is precluded from $175 Million in federal funding on the basis of their sports policies regarding transgender persons.

The restrictions also begin to affect researchers abroad, as those funded by federal American grant providers are now being asked to fill in a 36-question poll sent by the US Geological Survey to disclose their institution’s compliance with the new policies. It strikes out research on climate change and diversity while measuring its contribution to making the US independent from global organizations such as the UN.

European universities have recently garnered support for their American fellows, such as Belgians Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) which opened up twelve postdoctoral positions for international researchers. Previously, the French minister of education had called on research institutions to follow the Aix Marseille Université which launched its “Safe Place for Science” programme securing funding for research positions from abroad. Meanwhile, European funding bodies debate how to offer academic safe havens while striking a balance not to “benefit from colleagues’ misery,” as Maria Leptin, president of the European Research Council (ERC) told the European parliament in February.

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