As the Trump administration cuts federal research funding, European countries are stepping in to lure American scientists. France, for instance, launched a new initiative last week to welcome funding proposals from international researchers. The program, “Choose France for Science,” from the National Research Agency, quickly drew praise from Yann LeCun, Meta (META)’s chief A.I. scientist.
“Attempting to attract scientists from the U.S. to France is [a] smart move by President Macron,” said LeCun in a LinkedIn post on April 19. The French-American computer scientist, who has been at Meta for over a decade, received the Turing Prize in 2018 alongside Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio for pioneering work in neural networks. LeCun moved from France to the U.S. in 1988 to conduct machine learning research at AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey.
In recent months, the Trump administration has reduced staffing at agencies like the National Science Foundation, frozen grants, and pulled funding from top universities, driving some scientists to seek opportunities abroad.
France’s initiative positions itself as a defense of academic freedom and invites universities and research organizations to host international scientists, with projects potentially co-funded up to 50 percent by the French government, according the country’s National Research Agency.
“Here in France, research is a priority, innovation is a culture, and science is a boundless horizon,” said French President Emmanuel Macron of the initiative in a LinkedIn post. “Researchers from around the world, choose France, choose Europe!”
This isn’t the first time LeCun has chimed in on the state of scientific research in the U.S. Last month, the researcher highlighted Europe’s opportunity “to attract some of the best scientists in the world” as U.S.-based researchers look for a “Plan B” to America.
Some scientists are already one step ahead. A recent poll of 1,650 U.S. researchers conducted by the science journal Nature found that 75.3 percent of respondents were considering leaving the country amid research disruptions caused by the Trump administration. Europe and Canada ranked highest among potential destinations, especially for early-career researchers—of 690 postgrads and 340 Ph.D. students surveyed, 548 and 255, respectively, said they were eyeing careers abroad.
France has emerged as a likely contender. Outside of its “Choose France for Science” initiative, the nation’s Aix-Marseille University has launched a program to attract American researchers, already drawing more than 135 eligible U.S. applicants. Meanwhile, the ARC Foundation, a French cancer research organization, recently pledged €3.5 million ($4 million) to support U.S. scientists continuing their work in France.
France isn’t alone in rolling out the welcome mat. In Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel has opened a dozen postdoctoral spots for international scholars, with a focus on Americans. And in the Netherlands, Education Minister Eppo Bruins is reportedly planning a new fund aimed at drawing international scientists in response to the shifting geopolitical landscape.
