Aix-Marseille University in the south of France says it's ready to welcome American scientists, whose work has become untenable following the Trump administration's cuts in certain academic sectors. Around 40 researchers from top US universities have answered the call.
Aix-Marseille University launched the "Safe Space for Science" initative earlier this month, offering to take in American scientists fleeing the US after the Trump administration announced it would pull funding and putting restrictions on some areas of research.
Forty US scientists have "answered the call", the university said in a press release this week.
They include academics from Stanford, Yale, NASA, the National Institute for Health (NIH), and George Washington University.
Most of the research topics are related to health – LGBT+ medicine, epidemiology, infectious diseases, inequalities, immunology, etc.), the environment and climate change, plus the humanities, social science and astrophysics, the statement said.
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'New brain drain'
“We are witnessing a new brain drain,” Benton said in the statement,issued on Wednesday.
“We will do everything possible to help as many scientists as possible continue their research."
The first American scientist arrived at Aix-Marseille this week. Andrea, a specialist in infectious diseases and epidemics, was working on the African continent.
"The main impact of Donald Trump's policies on my work is that it's created a climate of utter uncertainty and fear," she told France Info. "And even if I still have a job, and we receive funds, there is no information on whether the financing will continue."
Aix-Marseille says it can raise €15 million to support around 13 US scientists, but insisted it would not be able to meet all the requests on its own. Benton has called on the French and other European governments to help.
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The Trump administration's cuts have already had an impact. On Tuesday, UMass Chan – a public medical school in Massachusetts – announced a freeze on hiring citing "ongoing uncertainties related to federal funding of biomedical research". Students who had already been accepted were informed by email that their admissions for autumn 2025 term were rescinded.
