The Netherlands has launched a new science programme to recruit international researchers to live and work in the country. It is an effort to attract top scientists from abroad who want to continue their work elsewhere, like those affected by the large-scale budget cuts in academia and research in the United States.
Earlier this month, the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) urged the government to set up a fund that would lure in American scientists who could lose their jobs and funding due to the large-scale budget cuts planned by the Trump administration. Not long after, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Eppo Bruins announced that a fund would be launched as soon as possible to provide opportunities for top international scientists to work in the Netherlands.
"The world is changing. Tensions are increasing. We see that more and more scientists are looking for another place to do their work. I want more international top scientists to come here to do that. After all, top scientists are worth their weight in gold to our country and to Europe,” wrote Bruins in a letter to the Tweede Kamer, without directly mentioning the US. According to Bruins, similar initiatives to attract talent from abroad are also being set up in other countries such as France, Germany, Spain and Belgium.
The exact details of the fund have not been ironed out yet, but Bruins wanted to announce the plans so that scientists across the globe considering a move for work also keep the Netherlands in mind. Bruins has asked the NWO to set up a fund as soon as possible so that top researchers can relocate to the Netherlands and start working shortly.
An example mentioned is a grant that would give scientists enough money to live in the Netherlands and continue their research at a Dutch university or institute. However, the plans for the fund have been announced when the Dutch government is also aiming to cut billions in euros from the budget for higher education. The country is also reconsidering removing the 30 percent ruling, a tax advantage for highly-skilled migrants in the Netherlands.