House of Representatives rejects action plan to attract scientists from the US

It was a proposal during a lengthy debate that mainly focused on European defence and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

Rob Jetten, the faction leader of D66, echoed Dassen’s sentiments: ‘We should not be cutting back now, as the cabinet is doing, but investing in education and laying out the red carpet for all those scientists who are no longer welcome in Trump’s America.”

A French university in Marseille has established a safe place for science: a programme that accommodates fifteen scientists from the United States. However, it can also include Europeans who are returning from the US. Many universities are noticing that scientists want to leave.

The Netherlands is doing little about this, as revealed by a round of inquiries by BNR. This is also challenging during times of budget cuts, the university association UNL told the journalists of the news radio.

Even here in the Netherlands, the pressure from the Trump administration is palpable. Two researchers from Wageningen received a form this month containing politically charged questions about their research. Others suddenly find they can no longer collaborate with American colleagues.

In the parliamentary debate, Volt introduced a motion on this issue. The Netherlands and Europe would benefit from attracting talent, he stated, ‘such as students, scientists, and technicians’. It would be beneficial to create an action plan for the ‘accelerated attraction of talent from the United States’, given that the research and science climate there is under significant pressure.

Prime Minister Dick Schoof advised against the Volt motion, stating that the cabinet is ‘not in favour of an approach specifically targeting the US”. He agreed that attracting talent is a good idea, but not solely from the United States.

The House of Representatives rejected the motion on Wednesday by a significant majority. The four governing parties voted against it, and the opposition was divided.

Can universities not handle this themselves? In principle, that could be possible, said Laurens Dassen’s spokesperson. “But in our ideal scenario, governments, businesses, and knowledge institutions form a united front and turn Europe into a safe haven for scientists and innovators from America, who continue to work here on our future.”

The budget cuts to research make this difficult, he acknowledged. “Universities rightly say that they need funding for this, but the cabinet prefers to spend money on ‘red diesel’. Then you are dealing with the industry of the past.” Red diesel is a cheaper fuel for tractors.