In a powerful speech at Paris’ Sorbonne University, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a clear call to scientists disillusioned by U.S. policies under Donald Trump’s administration: “Choose Europe.” Without directly naming Trump, von der Leyen condemned the erosion of scientific freedom and the dismantling of research infrastructure in the United States, calling it “a gigantic miscalculation”, reported by Euro News.
Her remarks come as Trump pursues aggressive cuts to America’s science funding. Federal grants for institutions researching climate change, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and HIV have already been slashed. Proposals to reduce funding by 37% for the National Institutes of Health and over 50% for the National Science Foundation have drawn sharp rebukes from the academic and medical communities. Trump’s administration has framed these cuts as a way to end “woke science spending” and refocus on “strategic” technologies like AI and nuclear energy.
Simultaneously, elite U.S. universities are under fire from the administration, which seeks to dismantle diversity programs, threatening to withdraw federal funding and restructure tax benefits. Critics say such moves undermine decades of bipartisan support for open, merit-based scientific progress.
In contrast, von der Leyen unveiled “Choose Europe,” a bold initiative aimed at attracting global scientific talent. Promising reduced bureaucracy, enhanced funding, and seven-year “super grants,” the European Union plans to anchor scientific freedom in law and provide €500 million in additional funding through 2027. The program builds on the €93-billion Horizon Europe initiative and seeks to position the EU as a haven for free inquiry and innovation.
“Science has no passport, no party,” von der Leyen declared. “It is a global good, and we must protect it.”
French President Emmanuel Macron echoed her sentiment, warning against political interference in research. “Lives are at risk,” he said. “The progress of our humanity is at stake.”
Together, their remarks signaled a transatlantic rift over the future of science—and a European vow to safeguard its soul.
