Analysts are sounding the alarm over a growing 'brain drain' as American scientists and international researchers flee to Europe, an exodus driven by deep cuts to research funding and stricter visa rules under the Trump administration.
A 2025 poll by Nature found that 75% of American scientists were considering leaving the United States. This potential mass departure has contributed to policies aimed at further restricting the flow of international students, who have long fueled American research.
Trump tried to limit foreign talent, research funding
Just months into his second term, US President Donald Trump moved to block American academic and scientific institutions from taking in foreign students, affecting undergraduates, medical students, and PhD candidates alike.
Additionally, in May 2025, the White House proposed cutting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget by 40%, from 48 billion dollars to 27 billion.
The NIH, which primarily finances medical research in the US, has had thousands of its grants frozen since then. Many younger researchers have described the loss of funding as “terrifying,” according to university scientists interviewed by Forbes, who said federal grant cuts threaten careers and are a key reason they’re considering work abroad.
European grants attract high-level researchers
This year, more than half of the recipients of the Spanish government researcher relocation grant Atrae were based in the United States, a sharp increase from previous years, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported, citing the State Research Agency.
One of the 2024 grant winners, Italian leukemia researcher Vincenzo Calvanese, who had worked at UCLA for 10 years, told the newspaper that deciding whether to move was a “very simple decision.”
Calvanese cited Trump’s policies as a catalyst for the broader movement of scientists, noting that the economic and political changes outlined in the president’s agenda created a “very difficult time” for many of his colleagues.
European grants such as Atrae have become a major draw for scientists leaving the US. Organizations across the continent have announced increased funding for initiatives aimed at attracting researchers to the region, such as the European Research Council’s “Choose Europe.”
Dedicated to Marie Curie and founded in 2025, the initiative aims to bring researchers from around the world to Europe, with a strong emphasis on the US. Offering funding, grants, and help with finding work, the project has been awarded billions of euros by the EU.
'Brain drain' impact on US could worsen
As Europe reels in American researchers, US institutions are already feeling the impact. According to a report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), developments over the past year have led universities to scale back operations, including delaying clinical trials and shutting down understaffed or underfunded laboratories.
According to the December 2025 report, the decrease in NIH grants affects research in multiple fields, including cancer, diabetes, aging, neurological disorders, and public health.” The report warns this could undermine US competitiveness in biomedical research for years to come.
Additionally, the report highlights the lasting impact of a significant brain drain: once laboratories close and research teams disperse, the expertise and momentum they have built are often impossible to fully recover.