The Spanish government has allocated €45 million to convince US-based researchers who are being “disregarded” by the Trump administration to continue their work in Spain.
Donald Trump has been making waves across the world with his anti-woke policies, countless executive orders and most recently due to his global tariff war, spurring many in the US to consider a move overseas, including some of the country’s leading scientific minds.
The discontent felt in the US’s scientific community was made clear recently when they sent an open letter to the administration signed by 2,000 researchers, warning of the loss of global leadership and the interruption of numerous projects and trials.
Together with DOGE’s broad cuts to federal funding, many fear the country’s research field, once viewed as the envy of the world, may be soon losing its edge.
This is particularly true after Trump’s administration threatened Columbia University with major funding cuts if it didn’t take steps to rein in pro-Palestinian protests, among other actions.
Similar threats have been lodged by Trump against other universities, leading many researchers to worry about the future of academic freedom in the United States and consider a move abroad.
To capitalise on this, the Spanish government has launched a programme to attract experienced scientists specialising in certain fields, particularly bright minds based in the United States.
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To do this, the Spanish cabinet has reinforced its Atrae (Attract) programme, with a budget of €45 million this year, an increase of approximately €15 million compared to the two previous years.
Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation Diana Morant explained that the focus is on researchers who are being “disregarded” by the Trump administration.
She said that US-based scientists selected for this programme will receive additional funding of €200,000 for each project they’re working on.
She explained that if the Atrae programme receives €1 million per scientist that establishes their research in Spain, the United States will receive €1.2 million, if appropriate.
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A recently survey published by scientific journal Nature revealed that 75 percent of the 1,6000 US-based researchers interviewed were considering leaving the United States.
Spain’s Ministry of Science launched the Atrae programme in 2023 to try to attract researchers over to Spain with a long and established track record and who are leaders in their fields.
Over the past two years, with cost of approximately €60 million, it has facilitated the arrival of 58 researchers – 56 percent of them Spanish and the rest from 14 different countries.
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The programme, which will be launched in May, will be organised by the State Research Agency (AEI). This year’s funding represents a 50 percent increase compared to last year’s, which will allow for a greater number of beneficiaries – up to 45 in total.
Morant emphasised that the beneficiaries must be research leaders in key areas such as climate change, artificial intelligence, space technology, and water resource management.
Among other requirements, she highlighted that they must have developed their scientific studies abroad for at least five of the last six years or be in the top 10 percent of global leaders in their areas of specialisation.
The minister said that the world is currently facing two opposing paths – the denial of science and prosperity.
She praised the Spanish government’s “unprecedented” commitment to research, which she believes has contributed to technological and energy autonomy and to economic and labour market growth.
In practice however, there are many accounts that being a researcher in Spain isn’t as wonderful as the Spanish government would want to have outside talent believe.
Lower wages, long waits for the verification of foreign qualifications, few career prospects, job instability and antiquated work environments have led many Spanish scientists to seek better opportunities abroad, and foreign researchers to regret their decision to move here.
