US President Donald Trump has significantly curtailed scientific freedom in the US, slashed research funding and imposed restrictions on universities. Many researchers in the US are filled with uncertainty about this "Republican war on science" .
That's why some of them are considering moving to Europe, and European research support programs are seeing a significant increase in interest: applicants for the "Marie Skłodowska-Curie" program have increased by 50 percent, and those for grants from the European Research Council (ERC) have tripled. The EU's "Choose Europe" initiative clearly already enjoys the expected trust.
Disappointing results from an otherwise very ambitious idea
Germany is responding to the changes in the US with the "1000 Heads Plus" initiative. It offers special scholarships, professorships and professional development programs for international researchers at all career levels. And also - assistance during the adaptation period, as well as additional financial support for the families of the candidates. All this should facilitate a quick start and provide long-term prospects for an academic career in Germany.
However, the hopes of attracting talent from the United States have so far only been partially fulfilled, the Ministry of Education and Research admits: four months after the program's launch, the ministry reports 84 supported researchers from 25 countries, only 15 of whom are from the United States.
Sabine Helling-Mögen from the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers explains the poor result as follows: "For American scientists, this is a very serious step, much more decisive than elsewhere - not least because of the family and the social environment. For many of them, moving is only a last resort - if it is unavoidable or if an offer seems particularly attractive and promising. "
What Germany can learn from successful models in Europe
In Europe, interest is high and applicants are multiplying, but not in Germany. But not because the government's "1000 Heads Plus" initiative is bad, quite the opposite - it is even "very good, sends a strong signal to the international scientific community and has the potential to create significant momentum for Germany as a place for scientific research," says Helling-Mögen. The problem is another, she believes: excessive bureaucracy, complicated visa and employment procedures in Germany, as well as the language barrier. All of this repels researchers from the United States.
Although English is the usual working language, "the lack of knowledge of German can become a challenge in everyday life outside of work. This applies to everything from finding a suitable health insurance to being recognized or getting a driver's license," the expert points out.
German research institutes and companies have long been pushing for improvements: for example, in terms of the country's hospitality culture, as well as for less bureaucracy and faster hiring procedures. "In international comparison, Germany is too slow in this regard," says Sabine Helling-Mögen.
How other countries succeed
In contrast to Germany, other European countries such as France, Belgium and Austria are deliberately attracting leading researchers from the United States - including with huge financial incentives.
In Austria, researchers are recruited, supported and integrated in record time. Germany's southern neighbor is deliberately attracting researchers from the United States with the "APART-USA" program. And it's been very successful: according to the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the country has so far attracted 25 researchers from elite American universities such as Harvard and Princeton with the help of the funding program. Among them are postdoctoral fellows, but also professors in fields such as physics, chemistry and biology.
They receive 500,000 euros from the Austrian state over a period of two years. And in this situation, the language barrier no longer seems to be such an obstacle. They are expected to start working at one of the twelve Austrian universities or research institutes this year.
Money alone is not the solution
Sabine Helling-Mögen does not believe that this type of financial incentive is the right way to go: "The consistent development of Germany as a research location is more sustainable than short-term financial incentives," says the head of the "Helmholtz". She refers to a document called the "Research and Innovation Pact". This agreement between the federal government, the states and the major German research institutes aims to strengthen international competitiveness through guaranteed, annually increasing funding and common goals. Politics provides the financial framework conditions, while science retains its independence, guaranteed by the Constitution.
The "Fraunhofer" Institute also defines the high value of scientific freedom in Germany as "the core of liberal, democratic societies". The institute's structures do not conduct a special program to recruit American researchers, but the written statement sent to the DW notes: "Good and continuous cooperation with our partners in the US is in our mutual interest in order to ensure the exchange of knowledge in both directions".
The "Helmholtz" societies also consider expanding ties between Germany and the US as research centers in the long term. "We need to build bridges for scientists who will probably want to do research here for just a few years and later return to the US. "This way, connections can be established that will last for decades," says Helling-Mögen.
Who are those who come to Europe?
The original idea was to attract mainly leading researchers from the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology, as well as from the prestigious fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. In practice, however, mainly scientists from other fields such as climate and public health have come. But there are also those who work in artificial intelligence.
In addition, Europe is currently attracting mainly postdoctoral researchers. European research centers benefit from young talents with doctoral degrees, offering a current research approach, innovation and valuable international experience.
In turn, postdoctoral fellows find in Europe more reliable career prospects, international contacts and an open research environment that is less subject to political influence.
For example, there is great interest in the first postdoctoral program of the "Max Planck" Institute - over a thousand applications have been received from foreigners, mainly from Asia. The head of the "Public Relations" department of the institute, Christina Beck, points out to DW that the generously funded, long-term research groups of "Max Planck" are extremely attractive to young scientists after the postdoctoral phase. And this also applies to researchers from the USA.
Author: Alexander Freund