Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen organize a conference “Choose Europe for Science” at the Sorbonne to seduce foreign researchers

The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, want to seduce foreign researchers, particularly threatened in the United States by the policies of the Trump administration, by organizing, on Monday, May 5, the conference “Chose Europe for Science”. Financial incentives likely to attract scientists installed in the United States could be mentioned.

The event, which will bring together representatives of European universities and European commissioners as well as ministers of research, will be closed at the end of the morning by the French president and the president of the European Commission, in the historic premises of the prestigious university campus of Ma Sorbonne, in the heart of Paris.

Emmanuel Macron had announced the conference of the conference in mid-April, when a Choose France for Science was launched. Before the announcement of a similar initiative of the National Center for French Research (CNRS), the first European body in number of researchers. It’s about showing, “In a moment when academic freedoms experience a number of reflux or threats, whether Europe is a continent of attractiveness”according to the Elysée.

Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, researchers and universities have been in the crosshairs of the American government and have been afraid for their future, between academic and research, mined, and sanded funding.

“Credits” must be announced for France

Monday’s conference will mix concrete ads and reflections on the future. For France, “There are credits, there are amounts” which will be announced, possibly in the form of tax incentives, said an adviser to President Macron.

The Choose France for Science platform indicates that the State could abound up to 50 % of certain research projects, to merit. But the operators await an advertisement on the overall envelope which will be allocated.

The initiative makes the teeth of French higher education and research unions cringe that deem it “Shocking, even indecent”. They denounce the “Chronic under-funding” of the sector, “Forced groups” of establishments, but also “From almost incessant attacks to academic freedom”by recalling controversies about “wokism” at university.

Nothing has yet filtered possible measures that could announce Ursula von der Leyen, who said Tuesday that Brussels would make “Proposals to help scientists and researchers” choose Europe “”.

It is a question of making France and the old continent more attractive, where the remuneration and the amounts devoted to researchers and to research are very below the United States. Even if the continent has undeniable assets in this area, whether in the quality of its research infrastructure for their work or in the reception for their families.

The United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway also present

These announcements will be flexed towards research in the fields of health, climate and biodiversity, digital and artificial intelligence, space or even agriculture, according to the Elysée.

The event will be held in a format “European in the broad sense”according to the Elysée, with British, Swiss and Norwegians. The morning will include two round tables, including American academics and industrialists. One of them will focus on the theme of academic freedoms and the contribution of research to world public goods, such as databases, many of which are international, and whose access could be threatened by decisions of the American administration.

The second will precisely study the means to fight against European dependencies in the field of research. But also the strategic orientations to be taken in terms of both “Of financing, innovation and structuring of research at the French level and at European level”according to an Elysée advisor.

Indeed, still according to this source, the American disengagement of many partnerships “May have consequences on our security, especially in the health monitoring and also on major cooperation programs”like those related to climate.

The day will continue with a meeting of European research ministers, at the invitation of their French counterpart, Philippe Baptiste. He will welcome European European Research Institutes to his ministry.