The current assault on science and on academic freedom in the USA is deeply troubling, but also creates opportunities for other countries to attract top talent. Are we seeing the beginning of a reverse brain drain?
Several leading profiles in academia have already relocated from the US to Canada or France, and there is likely more to come.
A poll among post-docs at US universities found 78% of respondents claiming that their job or position is threatened and/or their research is delayed because of federal actions taken after January 20th of this year.
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nationalpostd ... s_repo.pdf
Another poll done by Nature magazine showed that more than 75% of the scientists responding (1211 of 1608) are considering leaving the country. Mainly to Canada or Europe.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00938-y
Here's a translation of an op ed written by the President of the Stockholm School of Economics, Lars Strannegård:
https://www.hhs.se/en/about-us/news/sse ... -the-past/
Excerpts:
Op ed: "Academic freedom in the U.S. is a thing of the past"
17 March, 2025
Academic freedom in the U.S. is under siege, with funding cuts and political interference threatening research. As top scholars look abroad, Sweden has a chance to defend academic independence – and attract world-class talent in the process, SSE President Lars Strannegård argues in an op ed in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.
In the ongoing, relentless political turmoil in the United States, uncertainty grows by the day. Financial markets are on edge, waiting for the next blow to land – or be suddenly halted –while the American stock market is falling. The astonishing statements from Trump, Musk, and Vance follow one after another, each more extreme than the last, leaving observers stunned.
Universities and academics in the U.S. find themselves in a quagmire of uncertainty, realizing they are directly in the line of fire. They may have suspected that winds of change were coming, but not at hurricane strength and so immediately. The journal Nature reports that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has halted hundreds of payments to ongoing research projects related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). USAID-funded research on HIV and malaria has suddenly been cut off. Government agencies are announcing that they will not hire students who graduated from universities with DEI programs. The U.S. government is now publishing lists of words that may no longer be used in applications to federal research funders or in presentations on research content.
It is now reasonable to say that academic freedom in the U.S. is a thing of the past.
The idea that applications for research grants are automatically disqualified if using words such as "women" or "obesity" is ludicrous.
Sounds more like the Soviet Union or North Korea than a bastion of freedom.
Here's a list of words that are now to be avoided if you want federal grants:
https://pen.org/banned-words-list/
As the world’s leading U.S. universities are thrown into disarray, Sweden has a potential Einstein moment. During World War II and its aftermath, European talent flowed into the U.S. due to persecution or perceived insecurity. The situation today is reminiscent of that era, but the brain drain may now flow in the opposite direction. With American universities not hiring and a growing skepticism toward elite institutions, academics are starting to look toward other countries. We already know that this year’s recruitment of researchers to the Stockholm School of Economics is seeing an unusually high caliber of applicants. Few industries are as globally mobile as academia. Science is international, Sweden has strong English proficiency, and the quality of life is high. Both the public and private sectors should now come together to establish a strategic talent fund. Perhaps now is the time for Sweden to take inspiration from our neighbors or from Singapore: for every private krona invested, the government matches it with one, two, or three kronor. This incentivizes foundations to contribute, stimulates philanthropy, and fosters a sense of collective purpose. By working together, we also strengthen national cohesion.
From the extraordinary events unfolding in the U.S., a golden opportunity emerges for Sweden. If we act together, we can inoculate ourselves against authoritarian forces. Let’s call it opportunism in the service of democracy. Other European countries will likely not hesitate, so let this happen swiftly. The path to a stronger democracy in our time lies in affirming fundamental values and enhancing our global competitiveness by welcoming top international talent.