The US gets rid of scientists. Europe welcomes them
Volt has an idea to bring scientists from the US to Europe.
Published on April 1, 2025
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Trump is causing scientists to leave America. Scientists in the US who conduct research into climate change and infectious diseases no longer receive financial support from the American government. Volt has an idea to bring them to Europe.
Tinder for job seekers
It is a European platform, comparable to Tinder, but for jobs: an online system where talent from outside the EU can create a profile with their skills and qualifications. An algorithm links this profile to employers who are looking for exactly this talent, just like with the well-known dating app.
The platform only focuses on sectors where the EU as a whole has a shortage, so not on cheap migrant labor for the meat industry or horticulture, for example.
A European Job Tinder would come in handy. Currently, each EU country recruits in its own way, with different rules for work permits, often only in their own language. This means that a busy scientist from the US has to search dozens of websites for that one job.
Agreement in Europe
The European Commission adopted the plan in November 2023. Last summer, the 27 member states agreed and last week the European Parliament voted in favor of it as well. In the coming weeks, countries and parliaments must still reach an agreement, because some governments want to determine which vacancies employers are allowed to post.
A plan born in the Netherlands
Plans are not only being made at the European level. The Dutch government also wants to actively attract top international scientists, especially from the United States. The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) is setting up a special fund. This fund must offer fast and accessible financing to researchers who work in an unfavorable climate.
Minister Eppo Bruins emphasizes the importance of this strategy: “Top-level international scientists are invaluable in boosting knowledge and innovation.”
Dutch universities reject foreign researchers and collaborations
In recent years, hundreds of international collaborations and job applications from foreign researchers have been rejected.