France, EU hold Paris conference to attract US researchers

ISTANBUL

France and the European Union are holding a conference in Paris on Monday to attract US researchers into the continent, as academic institutions come under increasing political and financial pressure due to President Donald Trump's policies.

French President Emmanuel Macron and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will launch the “Choose Europe for Science” initiative at the conference at the Sorbonne University, whose aim is to “encourage researchers and public and private entrepreneurs from around the world to choose Europe and France as their place of practice,” according to the Elysee Palace.

“In the United States, once a paradise for researchers, academic freedom is being called into question. The boundary between truth and falsehood, between facts and belief, is being weakened,” French Education Minister Elisabeth Borne said in her opening speech.

She pointed out the recent positions contradicting “scientific consensus” in matters of climate, biodiversity, public health and gender equality, stressing that science and researchers face “unprecedented rejections” all around the world.

“We must draw the consequences of these upheavals with clarity. In the face of them, France and Europe must rise to the occasion by opening their doors to threatened researchers and by firmly reaffirming their unwavering commitment to academic freedom and scientific independence,” Borne added.

The initiative comes at a time when tensions between the Trump administration and elite universities escalate over issues including admissions, hiring practices, curriculum oversight, and responses to pro-Palestine campus protests.