The European Union will propose a 500 million euro investment for the period 2025-2027 to attract top-tier scientific researchers, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced today.
“The role of science is currently being questioned. Investments in basic research, freedom, and openness have been called into question. What a huge mistake in judgment… science is key to our future here in Europe,” said von der Leyen during the closing of the “Choose Europe for Science” conference.
The conference, held in Paris at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, aims to attract US scientists, whose research work is under threat due to the policies of the Donald Trump administration.
Praising the “stable and lasting investments” and research-friendly infrastructure in Europe, von der Leyen announced measures to address shortfalls, including a new “super-subsidy” lasting seven years and a doubling of the research budget by 2027.
“In the medium- and long-term, we want to achieve a goal of 3% of GDP for research and development investments by 2030,” she said.
To facilitate the entry of researchers, she explained that the EU aims to help both public and private institutions better connect with highly qualified researchers and speed up the process for them to enter the European Union.
“Bringing the world’s best researchers means getting the best out of Europe,” von der Leyen emphasized.
