In response to the Trump administration’s decision to halt financing for diversity, equality, and inclusion programs in the United States, the European Union (EU) began a campaign on Monday to entice academics and scientists to research in Europe through the promise of funds and new policy ideas.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, “A few years ago, no one would have imagined that one of the biggest democracies in the world would cancel research programs under the pretext that the word diversity was in this program” during the “Choose Europe for Science” event in Paris.
“No one would have thought that one of the biggest democracies in the world would delete with a stroke the ability of one researcher or another to obtain visas,” explained Macron. The point is, we’re here.
Concurrently, at the Sorbonne University, President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission said that the executive body of the EU will establish a “super grant” program to provide “a longer-term perspective to the very best” in the subject.
“To make Europe a magnet for researchers,” she added, pledging 500 million euros ($566 million) between 2025 and 2027. The European Research Council would get the funding, adding to its existing budget of around 16 billion euros ($18 billion) for the years 2021–2027.
The 27-nation EU plans to “to enshrine freedom of scientific research into law” according to von der Leyen, who said this in a new legal act. Europe would remain steadfast in its beliefs despite “the threats rising across the world,” she declared.
According to Macron, fresh recommendations to increase funding for scientific research will shortly be made by the French government.
Following an executive order by President Trump to cease financing for studies on diversity, equity, and inclusion and the investigation of disinformation, hundreds of American university academics had their National Science Foundation funding revoked last month.
Work to battle internet censorship in Iran and China and a study engaging with Indigenous people to understand environmental changes in Alaska’s Arctic area are among the more than 380 award projects that have so far been eliminated.
Some funds cut off funding for initiatives that would have increased diversity in STEM fields. Protests have been staged by scientists, researchers, and physicians.
It was “a gigantic miscalculation” to undercut free and open research, von der Leyen added, without naming the Trump administration.
She emphasized that science is inclusive and does not discriminate based on gender, race, or political party. Diversity, in our view, is both a strength of the human race and an essential component of scientific inquiry. We must ensure its protection because it is among the world’s most precious treasures.
Von der Leyen has been actively promoting scientific prospects in Europe and capitalizing on changes in U.S. policy. Since Trump took office in January and triggered a tariff war last month, she has also talked up the possibility of trade accords with other nations.
The doctor-turned-former German defense minister promised that the European Union will do more to help scientists and researchers overcome obstacles like bureaucratic hoops and lack of access to companies.
No longer, according to Macron, can scientific inquiry and discovery “be based on the diktats of the few.”
“The message is simple,” Macron told those who feel threatened overseas, and he emphasized that Europe “must become a refuge” for scientists and researchers. Come and help us stay free, do research here, improve, and invest in our future if you appreciate freedom.
