Choose Europe for Science faces an uncertain test as Europe courts researchers - Space and astronomy

Launched in response to U.S. restrictions on federal research funding, the European and French initiatives promised hundreds of millions of euros to attract scientists. Eighteen months later, recruitment is still underway and the number of researchers who have moved to Europe remains unknown.

The European Union and France launched programs to attract researchers from the United States after the Trump administration canceled or froze thousands of federal research grants. The initiatives were presented as a way to make Europe a refuge for scientists whose work had been affected by political decisions targeting areas including diversity, the environment and public health.

At the Sorbonne on May 5, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe should become a refuge for researchers. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced €500 million for Choose Europe for Science, while Macron committed €100 million to its French counterpart, Choose France for Science.

Eighteen months later, the European Commission told Le Monde that it could not yet provide a figure for the number of researchers who had settled in Europe after leaving the United States. The explanation is that several calls for projects are still in progress and some contracts have yet to be signed.

The Commission describes Choose Europe as a showcase for Europe’s commitment to academic research freedom. Rather than creating an entirely separate system, the initiative adds funding to existing European research programs.

The largest share of the European package—€420 million—supports ERC Plus, a new grant from the European Research Council. The scheme is open to researchers from every discipline and from around the world, including scientists already based in Europe. Awards are decided through peer review, with scientific excellence as the sole criterion.

ERC Plus can provide up to €7 million over seven years, but the program is highly selective. Around 30 projects are expected to receive funding each year, compared with about 1,000 recipients of the ERC’s standard grants. The first call closed in September, and applications are currently being assessed.

With selections and contracts still pending, the initiatives’ ability to bring substantial numbers of researchers to Europe remains difficult to assess.

Sources: Le Monde Sciences.