- Almost everyone in French academia is ‘laughing’ at Macron’s plan, French astrophysicist Olivier Berne tells Anadolu
- Renewed initiatives seen as Macron’s bid to elevate France – and himself – on the global stage
ISTANBUL
While French President Emmanuel Macron presents France as a haven for international researchers struggling under new US policies, some French academics say the reality on the ground tells a much different story.
At first glance, the timing seems ideal. France is rolling out new funding packages and publicity campaigns to attract foreign researchers, painting itself as a safe, well-resourced alternative to the increasingly politicized academic climate in the US.
In early May, Macron co-hosted a summit with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. There, von der Leyen unveiled a €500 million ($585 million) EU initiative to attract global scientific talent, while Macron pledged an additional €100 million.
The month prior, Macron launched a national campaign – Choose France for Science – aimed at drawing international researchers in strategic fields. Framing the move as a defense of “free” and “strong” scientific research, he criticized efforts to impose political restrictions on research. The initiative targets American scientists in particular, with a focus on health, climate, artificial intelligence, space, agriculture and energy.
The effort echoes Macron’s 2017 Make Our Planet Great Again campaign, launched in response to the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement during President Donald Trump’s first term.
French academics: ‘Who are we kidding?’
The same day as the Choose France for Science summit, France’s inter-union coalition for higher education and research issued a sharply worded statement titled, “Welcoming international researchers to France: Who are we kidding?”
Signed by around a dozen trade unions, the statement criticized Macron’s initiative, pointing to chronic underfunding, forced mergers and “increased control” along with “almost incessant attacks” on academic freedom.
It cited disciplinary actions against researchers expressing solidarity with Palestinians, as well as bans on Gaza-related conferences – all of which, the letter said, reflected a system weakened since Macron took office in 2017.
“We see the Choose France for Science initiative as an opportunity for Macron to hide the fact that his government is not preserving research with drastic cuts,” Olivier Berne, an astrophysicist at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), told Anadolu.
He dismissed the €100 million earmarked for the initiative as insufficient, especially when compared to the scale of research funding in the US.
Almost everyone in French academia “is laughing” at the initiative, he said.
France’s higher education system has seen a 30% drop in per-student funding over the last 20 years, pushing some universities to the brink of bankruptcy, Berne said.
Permanent academic positions, he added, have become increasingly scarce, leaving many researchers in precarious, short-term roles with little job security.
Berne also noted that funding for a key program supporting foreign researchers was cut by more than 50% this year – a move he called ironic, given the fanfare around the new initiative, which he said is worth less than the cuts.
He predicted that despite the flashy announcement, the campaign would attract few researchers, calling it an effort to “attract a few stars” rather than a meaningful support mechanism. “It clearly will not be an opportunity for thousands of researchers who are under threat in many countries, including the US,” he added.
For Berne, Macron’s move is more political than principled.
“He (Macron) just pretends that he is extremely pro-research, but in reality, it's not the truth,” he added, saying that researchers can see through the announcement as a “very opportunistic move in terms of communication” rather than a genuine investment in science.
Attempt to boost France – and Macron’s – global standing
Although Macron frequently highlights his good relationship with Trump, he has not hesitated to counter the US administration when the opportunity arises.
Some observers see the Choose France for Science initiative as part of a broader strategy to position France as a counterweight to the US – much like Macron’s push to present France as a “third way” for Southeast Asian countries caught between the Washington-Beijing rivalry.
Alexander Seale, an analyst focused on French and European politics, is among those who see Macron’s initiative as part of a larger strategy to compete with the US.
“He would like to turn France into a kind of El Dorado for American scientists,” Seale said, referencing the mythical city of gold sought by explorers in South America.
He noted that Macron aims to improve France’s global standing before his second and final presidential term ends in 2027.
“This is Macron’s last term. So, he’s trying to make France a better place for researchers and, of course, for the French people. Because in the future, people are going to be mainly focused on AI, on climate and on health. These are really three important aspects,” Seale explained.
He speculated that Macron may be eyeing a role within the European Commission after 2027, suggesting that his current push to boost France’s scientific and global influence could also serve long-term personal ambitions.
He said that France and Europe have a “great capacity” to attract researchers as they feel that Europe is “quite safe” in comparison.
Still, Seale acknowledged that France lags behind the US in terms of researcher compensation and research investment, the same issue raised by French unions.
“If he wants to attract these researchers, he has to find a deal with trade unions and big companies,” he said.