STOCKHOLM: With US universities facing challenges to their independence and funding, Nordic countries hope their emphasis on academic freedom and strong welfare societies can lure researchers seeking to leave the United States.
“To researchers in the United States: welcome,“ Sweden’s Education Minister Johan Pehrson told AFP, reaching out to academics affected by a wave of measures under US President Donald Trump.
“We can offer trust and long-term investments. We’ve got academic freedom. If you are looking for a place to do your work and contribute to solving global challenges, we value your knowledge,“ the minister said in a written statement.
“Our aim is to make it easier for talented individuals to come to Sweden,“ he added.
In late April, the American Association of Colleges and Universities published a statement condemning an “unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education”, which as of April 28 had gathered more than 500 signatures from leaders in the sector.
“It’s a huge attack and most probably this will just increase,“ Lars Strannegard, president of the Stockholm School of Economics, told AFP.
“It’s a battle actually, and probably the sort of real battle regarding how the US will develop as a country. A battlefield that will be at the universities,“ he added.
US research cuts
Experts have voiced concerns that Trump's cuts to American research threaten the United States' standing as a global science leader, and that a loss of research and data could lead to a lack of fact-based information and growing disinformation.
An analysis of application data by science journal Nature in April found that the number of US scientists applying for jobs abroad between January and March had increased by 32 percent, compared to the same period a year earlier.
Countries across Europe are now vying to recruit academics seeking to leave the United States.
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are due to take part in a conference in Paris next week aimed at getting foreign researchers, especially Americans, to “Choose Europe”, the French presidency announced Wednesday.
Nordic countries have already begun taking such steps.
The Research Council of Norway announced last week a 100-million-kroner (about $10-million) scheme to attract top international researchers.
“Academic freedom is under pressure in the United States, and it is an unpredictable situation for many researchers in what has been the world’s leading research nation for many decades,“ Norway’s higher education minister Sigrun Aasland said in a statement.
Similarly, the Swedish Research Council in mid-April announced a grant to help universities recruit international researchers, paying out two million kronor ($207,000) to cover recruitment costs and salaries.
The Danish Chamber of Commerce, along with a labour union, the Danish Society of Engineers, last week called on Danish politicians to raise awareness about Denmark among US researchers.
Younger talent
“We must do everything we can to ensure that Denmark, Danish science institutions and Danish companies are an attractive alternative,“ Brian Mikkelsen, CEO of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.
Karin Forsberg Nilsson, dean of the faculty of medicine at Uppsala University in Sweden, said that given the collaborative nature of science, cuts to funding in the United States will have knock-on effects in Europe.
“If our partners at laboratories and hospitals in the United States cannot conduct their research in the usual way because their funding is stopped or their employees are laid off, this will of course also affect the research we conduct here,“ Forsberg Nilsson told AFP.
“It also has a major impact on large shared databases and datasets,“ she added.
Always on the lookout for talented researchers, she said her department has already begun being “proactive in advertising job vacancies” to US researchers.
Forsberg Nilsson said they believe it could be easier to attract younger researchers who are less settled and might find Sweden's extensive childcare support and parental leave appealing for those planning to start families.
Anders Hagfeldt, vice-chancellor of Uppsala University, said he also thought that finding creative ways to attract researchers would be key.
“We don’t have the same salaries as the best researchers in the United States, so we find it difficult to compete there,“ Hagfeldt told AFP.
“But researchers usually try to think about doing exciting research in an exciting environment. I think we can offer that,“ he said.
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