Von der Leyen called Trump's war on universities a "giant miscalculation" and urged scientists to choose Europe
Kyiv • UNN
The head of the European Commission criticized Trump for suppressing science and urged scientists to choose Europe. She announced a program worth 500 million euros to attract foreign researchers.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, criticized the Donald Trump administration's policy on higher education in the United States, calling the attack on science and the reduction of funding a "giant miscalculation" and announced a new program for European researchers. This is reported by Politico, writes UNN.
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"The role of science in the modern world is being questioned. Investments in fundamental, free and open research are being questioned. What a giant miscalculation," said von der Leyen. "Science has no passport, gender, ethnicity or political party."
According to the media, during a speech with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Sorbonne University in Paris, von der Leyen said that the "Choose Europe for Science" initiative will put forward a program worth 500 million euros for the period from 2025 to 2027 to attract foreign researchers in order to "help the best and brightest researchers and scientists from Europe and around the world."
At the same time, a number of speakers at the event condemned the actions of the Trump administration, in particular attempts to cut federal funding for universities and threats to cut support for educational institutions such as Harvard. Some of them called it a manifestation of "reverse enlightenment."
According to reports, von der Leyen, in turn, did not name either American researchers or Trump, but her goals were clear. During her speech, she cited the story of Maria Curie as an example — a scientist who fled from Russian-occupied Poland to France, where she reached scientific heights.
Von der Leyen also announced that she would put forward a "European Innovation Act" and a "Startup and Scale-up Strategy." According to her, these initiatives are aimed at reducing bureaucratic barriers and expanding access to venture capital in order to more effectively turn scientific developments into business opportunities.
She also promised to legally codify the freedom of scientific research on the continent by proposing a "European Research Area Act."
Von der Leyen added that she wants EU countries to spend 3% of their gross domestic product on research by 2030.
Let us remind you
Earlier, Reuters wrote that Harvard risks losing the right to enroll foreign students and funding due to US requirements to provide information about student visa holders suspected of illegal activities.