France Seeks to Attract Scientists Leaving U.S. Amid Controversial Trump Policies
French institutions consider welcoming researchers, especially in climate science, as U.S. faces growing uncertainty under Trump’s leadership
Watan-France has urged its research institutions to consider the issue of welcoming scientists leaving the United States due to the controversial policies of President Donald Trump, according to information obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday.
Since Trump’s return to the White House for a second term after his presidency from 2017 to 2021, his government has reduced federal funding for life-saving research and taken steps to expel hundreds of federal employees working in health and environmental fields, including climate.
French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Philippe Baptiste, wrote in a letter to French institutes that “many renowned researchers are already questioning their future in the United States.” He added, “It is natural for us to welcome a certain number of them.” Baptiste asked research leaders to send “concrete proposals on this matter, both in terms of priority technologies and scientific fields.”
Aix-Marseille University to Welcome U.S. Climate Researchers Amid Rising Uncertainty
In this context, Aix-Marseille University, based in the Provence region of southeastern France, particularly in the cities of Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, announced earlier this week that it is in the process of creating a program dedicated to welcoming American researchers, especially those working in the field of climate.
After dozens of budget cuts overseen by Trump ally and adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, the U.S. president withdrew Washington from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement (2015).
In protest, scientists gathered in cities across the United States on Friday, and several of their French counterparts in Toulouse, in southwestern France, joined a solidarity demonstration. In a related context, Trump’s appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his skepticism regarding the effectiveness of vaccines, as head of the Department of Health and Human Services angered many scientists.
American doctors and researchers have not hidden their uncertainty, as Trump returns to power in the United States. For example, epidemiological data is no longer available, and many medical recommendations have disappeared, while cases of tuberculosis are being ignored.
American doctor Natalie DiCenzo, from the organization “Doctors for Reproductive Health,” told AFP last month that there is “an unprecedented situation,” referring to the “panic and suspicion” prevailing in the “medical and scientific communities.”
