Amid US Budget Cuts, France Welcomes Displaced Scientists

Amid a wave of layoffs and major federal research funding cuts under the Trump administration, many US-based scientists are reevaluating their careers and considering relocation. According to a recent survey published in Nature, three quarters of 1200 researchers polled said they were contemplating leaving the United States.

In this context, and with the launch of the Choose France for Science initiative on May 5, how is France preparing to welcome American researchers? Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France, and the French ARC Foundation for Cancer Research (Fondation ARC) have established support and reception structures. The Curie Institute in Paris, France, is also considering hosting established researchers.

Support Programs

“We offer an opportunity to those who are today professionally threatened and constrained to join a scientific environment that promotes freedom and academic excellence for the benefit of science and global knowledge,” a representative from Aix-Marseille University told Medscape’s French edition, referring to its newly launched Safe Place for Science program. She emphasized that France is “a land of academic excellence,” with the capacity to serve as “a haven for scientists hindered by political choices in their countries of origin.”

The Safe Place for Science international program, backed by €26 million in additional annual funding, aims to allocate up to €15 million over 3 years to support displaced researchers. Described as “the first initiative of its kind in France and Europe,” the program plans to host 15-20 researchers, beginning in June 2025, whose work has been disrupted due to the US administration’s cuts to research budgets.

Several other institutions have announced similar efforts, including CentraleSupélec (a French engineering school), Paris Sciences & Lettres University, the University of Toulouse, and Paris-Saclay University. The Aix-Marseille program has already drawn considerable interest: As of April 17, it had received 298 applications, with 242 deemed eligible. Most of these were experienced researchers affiliated with renowned institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, NASA, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Yale University, and Stanford University.

The university noted that its strengths in fields such as climate science, public health, humanities, physics, and astrophysics make it well aligned with the expertise of many of the researchers most affected by the US policy shift. To support this effort, Aix-Marseille University plans to provide access to its laboratories and create a “safe and stimulating” environment for selected candidates.

A Call to Action

Aix-Marseille University also plans to seek national support through the Choose France for Science initiative, which was officially launched in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The program aims to encourage researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators from around the world to choose France as a base for scientific and academic work.

Referencing former French President François Hollande’s proposal to create a “scientific refugee” status for researchers affected by political changes in the United States, France is now taking steps to actively welcome international scientific talent.

“What is happening in France today is quite unique,” said Nancy Abou-Zeid, PhD, scientific director of Fondation ARC, in an interview with Medscape’s French edition. The foundation has allocated €3.5 million to support the relocation of researchers — including postdoctoral fellows, early-career scientists, and senior investigators — whose work has been disrupted by recent US funding cuts or institutional layoffs.

Priority for Postdocs

The foundation aims to host “about 10 postdocs and perhaps one or two senior investigators.” Postdoctoral researchers are being prioritized because they represent “the most at-risk profiles,” Abou-Zeid explained. They also tend to be more mobile: “They’ve already left their home countries to pursue research in the US,” she said, unlike senior researchers who may wait to see how the situation develops.

For more established scientists, the process is more complex. “Most have families and children,” Abou-Zeid noted, and relocation involves transferring project funding and coordinating with colleagues who may follow them to France.

“When a researcher has been in the US for several years and leads a team of 20 people, that complicates things,” said Claire Rougeulle, PhD, director of the Research Center at the Curie Institute, also speaking to Medscape French edition. According to Rougeulle, senior researchers must weigh factors such as available funding, team size, access to advanced technology, and institutional infrastructure. This scenario differs from that of early-career researchers, who are often the most affected by recent layoffs, as they are typically the most recent hires.

Limited Hosting Capacity

Although the Curie Institute has not made public announcements like those from Aix-Marseille University or Fondation ARC, it is “actively evaluating opportunities to host senior researchers,” Rougeulle confirmed. “We are receiving inquiries from American colleagues, but our capacity to host is not unlimited. We are considering how to best align incoming researchers with our institutional priorities while ensuring they are welcomed under the best possible conditions.”

She emphasized that the institute is currently focused on matching researchers’ expertise with strategic scientific goals and assessing the infrastructure and lab space that could be made available to them.

While Rougeulle welcomed the Choose France for Science initiative and praised the French government for “mobilizing in support of displaced scientists,” she also urged caution. “This mobilization must be sustained. We need to go beyond political announcements and deliver consistent, long-term support.”

Budgetary Constraints

Despite efforts to attract international researchers, France’s research system faces ongoing financial challenges, according to Rougeulle, who emphasized that France’s investment in research and development currently stands at 2.22% of gross domestic product — well below the European Union’s “Europe 2020” strategic target of 3.0%.

“Any actions taken in France must be supported by additional funding — not simply reallocated from existing budgets,” said Alain Fischer, MD, PhD, in an interview with the French news magazine L’Express. Fischer is former president of the French Academy of Sciences, emeritus professor at the Collège de France, and co-founder of the Imagine Institute of Genetic Diseases, both in Paris, France. He also cautioned that efforts to recruit international talent should not undermine funding for domestic research.

Salary disparities are another pressing issue. US-based researchers are often paid significantly more than their European counterparts. According to L’Express, Germany and Switzerland currently offer the most competitive research salaries in Europe, although France remains attractive for other reasons, including its national healthcare system, public education, and retirement benefits.

“Salary scales in the US are substantially higher than those in the French public sector,” confirmed Philippe Gabriel Steg, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at Bichat Hospital, part of the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris network, Paris, France. “In the US, a large portion of a researcher’s salary is funded through grants — this is not typically the case in France.”

To help offset the salary gap, Aix-Marseille University plans to provide incoming researchers with a comfortable work and living environment, coordinating with local and national authorities to streamline processes such as visa acquisition and school enrollment for accompanying family members.

“Salaries are not the only consideration,” noted Abou-Zeid. “Yes, salaries are lower in France compared to the US, but the quality of life here is different, and the scientific environment is both stimulating and collaborative.” She also highlighted the benefits of working across the European research landscape, which offers “a unique, multi-institutional approach to scientific discovery.”

Researchers currently based in the United States now have both opportunities and support to consider relocating to France.

This story was translated from Medscape’s French edition using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.