Aix-Marseille University (AMU) is reaching out to scientists who could be affected by the reforms of the US President Donald Trump administration and is urging them to continue their work in Europe, Politico reports.
Aix-Marseille University in late June introduced eight US scientists who are currently completing the final formalities to join the university’s “Safe Place for Science” program. It was created to attract scientists who fear that the Trump administration could cut off funding for their research. AMU promises a brighter future for scientists in the sun-drenched Mediterranean port city.
Both France and the European Union have launched multi-million-euro programs since the start of Trump’s presidency in January to lure scientists from across the ocean. Eight scientists will be the first “academic refugees” to swap the US for France.
AMU Director Eric Berton, speaking to reporters at the university’s astrophysics laboratory, compared the situation to World War II, when many European academics fled Nazi-led Germany.
“What is at play here today is not unrelated to another dark period of our history,”
Berton said.
Most of the researchers who attended Berton’s press conference had not yet signed a contract with AMU and asked to remain anonymous to protect their research status in the United States if a deal is not reached. Among the applicants were James, a climate scientist at a prestigious research university, and his wife, who studies the intersection of legal systems and democracy.
While James said he did not consider himself or his colleagues “refugees,” he expressed deep concern about the future of scientific research under Trump.
Brian Sandberg, a history professor at Northern Illinois University who studies climate change during the so-called “Little Ice Age” from the 16th to the 19th centuries, has already planned to spend a year in Marseille as a visiting professor.
“The entire research and education system in the United States is under attack,”
he said.
AMU said that 298 candidates have applied for the program, including from prestigious universities such as Stanford and Yale. Burton said the large number of applications reflects the seriousness of the situation overseas.
However, moving to a foreign country where English is not the official language is a big step. Also on the agenda is the issue of salaries, which are lower for French researchers, and the overall research budget is smaller.
A biological anthropologist who has just started her career said she is waiting for all the terms of the contract from AMU. She is worried about the salary difference, but at the same time she is comforted by the thought that the cost of living in France is lower and that her two children will also have free education, and they are looking forward to moving. She noted that a slightly more carefree life will compensate for the lower salary.
Berton stressed that participants in the program will receive the same salary as their local colleagues. His announcement is a response to concerns among local academics that funds will be diverted to US researchers, while French scientists have long complained about insufficient funding.
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