By Elizabeth Pineau
PARIS (Reuters) – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday a 500 million euros ($566.6 million) incentive package to boost European science research, as Europe hopes to lure top U.S. scientists disgruntled with President Donald Trump.
“Science is an investment – and we need to offer the right incentives. This is why I can announce that we will put forward a new 500 million euros package for 2025-2027 to make Europe a magnet for researchers,” she said at a speech in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.
“We are choosing to put research and innovation, science and technology, at the heart of our economy. We are choosing to be the continent where universities are pillars of our societies and our way of life,” she added.
She also said she wanted EU-member states to invest 3% of gross domestic product in research and development by 2030.
Last month, Macron and Von der Leyen said they would be looking to invite scientists and researchers from the world over to Europe, at a time when Trump’s administration is threatening to cut federal funding for Harvard and other U.S. universities.
In April, France also launched the “Choose France for Science” platform, operated by the French National Research Agency (ANR), which enables universities, schools, and research organisations to apply for co-funding from the government to host researchers.
($1 = 0.8825 euros)
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Dominique Vidalon)
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