On May 5, 2025, The European Union (EU) and France on announced half a billion euros worth of incentives to lure scientists to the continent, seeking to profit from U.S. President Donald Trump’s federal funding cuts and clashes with top U.S. universities.

“We call on researchers worldwide to unite and join us … If you love freedom, come and help us stay free,” French President Emmanuel Macron said at Paris’ Sorbonne University alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The money would fund research projects and help universities cover the cost of bringing foreign scientists over to help run them, officials said. Von der Leyen announced the 500 million euros ($566.6 million) incentive package and said she also wanted EU member states to invest 3% of gross domestic product in research and development by 2030.

Macron pledged 100 million from France, though it was not immediately clear if this came on top of the EU pledge.

The threat to academics’ livelihoods at U.S. universities including Yale, Columbia and Johns Hopkins has given Europe’s political leaders hope they could reap an intellectual windfall.