Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has tightened immigration controls, cut funding for government grants and research, reduced staffing at NASA and NOAA, and attacked top universities.
France seems to have sensed an opportunity.
The National Research Agency, part of the Education Ministry, announced on Friday a “Choose France for Science” initiative to attract scientists from abroad, opening up more government funding for universities, schools, and research organizations to entice foreign talent.
“As the international context creates the conditions for an unprecedented wave of mobility among researchers around the world, France aims to position itself as a host country for those wishing to continue their work in Europe, drawing on the country’s research ecosystem and infrastructure,” the agency said in a statement.
In a LinkedIn post, French President Emmanuel Macron said that research is a “priority.” “Researchers from around the world, choose France, choose Europe!” he wrote.
Meta’s chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, who was born in France, responded to the announcement on Saturday, calling the initiative a ‘smart move.’
LeCun has criticized Trump for targeting public research funding. Last month, he wrote on LinkedIn that the “US seems set on destroying its public research funding system. Many US-based scientists are looking for a Plan B.”
In that same post, he told European countries, “You may have an opportunity to attract some of the best scientists in the world.”
LeCun is not the only tech leader to criticize the Trump administration’s policy decisions regarding science, research, and education. Last week, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said the administration has launched a “total attack on all of science in America.”
Speaking at the AI+Biotechnology Summit, Schmidt said he knew people in the tech space who planned to return to London because “they don’t want to work in this environment.”
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