Threatening “brain drain” in the USA: Is the German research landscape trying to attract US scientists?

For Donald Trump, they are his number one enemy: universities, which the US president considers "woke." Accordingly, he is aggressively targeting these traditional institutions. Among other things, Trump demanded that the elite university Harvard ensure "diversity of opinion" among its staff and students and abandon diversity criteria in hiring and admissions.

The institution resisted Trump's planned change of course, prompting the US government to freeze more than two billion dollars in funding. Harvard subsequently sued the government, and university president Alan Garber is forgoing 25 percent of his salary due to the funding cut.

Other universities bowed to the pressure and responded to Trump's demands, such as Columbia University in New York.

More and more researchers and educators see academic freedom in the United States under threat. Some have already left the country, including philosopher and fascism researcher Jason Stanley of Yale University. There is a threat of an exodus of the brightest minds from the United States—a "brain drain" otherwise only observed in developing countries.

This presents an opportunity for other regions of the world, especially for Europe. At the beginning of the month, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a €500 million package to specifically attract researchers to Europe . The German scientific community also sees opportunities. The coalition agreement between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) includes a 1,000-person program aimed at attracting "international talent."

The chances are not bad: According to the Max Planck Society, the number of applications from the USA more than doubled in a recent call for applications. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) also recorded a significant increase in applications from the USA for programs for international researchers.

Thomas Hofmann has been President of the Technical University of Munich since 2019.

Source: Astrid Eckert, Technical University of Munich

"Given the increasingly difficult situation in the US, we are currently looking closely," said Thomas Hofmann, President of TUM, to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). His goal, Hofmann said, is not to recruit as many people as possible. "We are concentrating on the absolute world leaders in strategically important disciplines who would be an excellent fit for TUM."

Humboldt University (HU) in Berlin says it is now also receiving direct inquiries from researchers in the USA. While the appointment procedures and job postings are open to all applicants, "if there are professional or other important reasons, we also use active recruiting. Of course, we are also looking to the USA due to its research excellence," the HU stated.

Even with mutual interest, however, there is one major hurdle: money. The elite US universities traditionally pay significantly better than in Germany, where university funding is scarce and is currently being cut even further in cash-strapped states like Berlin. A HU spokeswoman demands that Berlin's state government create financial planning security to give universities more flexibility.

At least this message has now reached the Berlin Senate. To specifically support academic institutions in recruiting US scientists, the Senate Administration is now proposing a funding fund. "Science in the US is under massive pressure from the Trump administration; financial cuts and political influence threaten academic freedom," Science Senator Ina Czyborra told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).

Ina Czyborra, Berlin Senator for Science, sees academic freedom under threat in the USA.

Source: IMAGO/Berlinfoto

"We want to offer them a new perspective in an excellent environment. And at the same time, we benefit from their expertise, their network, and the funding they bring to further strengthen Berlin as a location for top international research," Czyborra continued.

However, it remains unclear how much money will flow into this fund and which institution it will go to. Internal discussions on the project are currently underway with a view to the 2026/2027 budget.

The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV) is calling for a long-term improvement in earning opportunities at German universities. While it is important to support researchers in the US who are concerned about their future in light of political developments, "anyone who wants to attract and retain US researchers in the long term must be able to offer sustainably attractive working conditions," says Lambert T. Koch, President of the DHV. Germany still has some catching up to do in this regard.

The unexpected opportunity to attract top-level talent from the US may be an opportunity for German universities, but it's one they would gladly have foregone. "Cutting-edge research relies heavily on international collaboration. If research into the consequences of climate change and health research in the US is now to be scaled back, this is naturally very worrying for the global research landscape," TU Munich President Hofmann told RND.

In his view, Europe must be aware of its responsibility. "And Germany, in particular, can and must take a leading role in this – as a guardian of the Enlightenment and social cohesion, as a sanctuary for free science and expression, as a driver of innovation in a changing world."