Nordic Countries to Benefit From American Brain Drain
On March 3rd, hundreds of people protested the massive layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other countries are now looking to recruit the dismissed US researchers. (Photo: Elvert Barnes via Flickr)
The Nordic countries respond to Trump's political agenda with funds to recruit foreign researchers. The country is now facing a massive 'brain drain' after the administration's cuts in funding and restrictions on research, creating opportunities for Europe and China to recruit American researchers.
Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump has carried out a massive attack on science and education. Mass firings, cuts in funding, and limitations on language and research fields have led to serious concern among researchers worldwide.
Multilateral science cooperation plays an especially significant role in Arctic research as the region comprises eight states and is hit disproportionally hard by climate change compared to the rest of the world.
Taking care of the region and its Indigenous peoples is a joint venture, but it took a brutal hit when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and was subsequently sanctioned, also in the research field.
Now, another major player, the US, is stepping away from Arctic science, potentially paving the way for outsiders to take its place.
Recruiting US researchers
In March, 75% of US scientists who answered a Nature poll said they considered leaving the country after the Trump administration's attack on science.
The Nordic countries now see this as an opportunity to recruit talented foreign researchers.
Last month, the Norwegian Research Council announced that it would allocate NOK 100 million for international researcher recruitment. While not exclusive to American researchers, the announcement especially highlighted the dire situation US researchers face.
"Academic freedom is under pressure in the United States, and it is an unpredictable situation for many researchers in what has been the world's leading research nation for many decades. We have had close dialogue with the Norwegian knowledge communities and my Nordic colleagues about the development," said Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education, Sigrun Aasland (Labor), and added:
"It has been important for me to find good measures that we can put in place quickly, and therefore I have asked the Research Council to prioritize grant funding schemes that we can implement rapidly."
The Norwegian Research Council is also currently trying to get an overview of how the changes in the US are affecting research cooperation between Norway and the US through a survey.
When other countries close the doors on their researchers, we open ours.
The Swedish Research Council also announced last month that it would issue a call for grants of 2 million SEK to enable Swedish higher education institutions and other research organisations to recruit prominent researchers who are active outside Europe.
“With this call, we want to make it easier for higher education institutions and other research organisations in Sweden to recruit prominent research talents who are working outside Europe. We hope that the researchers will establish themselves here and remain after the initial grant period,” says Katarina Bjelke, Director General of the Swedish Research Council.
Johan Pehrson, Sweden's Minister for Education. (Photo: Kristian Pohl/Government Offices of Sweden)
Sweden's Minister of Education, Johan Pehrson, also hosted a roundtable with representatives from nine leading Swedish universities and research institutions to help invite and attract American researchers and students amid the political turmoil led by Trump.
"When other countries close the doors on their researchers, we open ours. [...] In Sweden, we protect academic freedom. Here, researchers will think freely, speak freely, and contribute to future solutions without being limited by a political agenda," said Pehrson in a LinkedIn post after the meeting, pointing to the situation in the US.
Likewise, the Research Council of Finland has launched a funding call to improve universities’ ability to recruit international experts to Finland. The call has a preliminary total budget of 50 million euros and will fund university recruitments between 2026 and 2030.
This will enable "universities to recruit international, high-level researchers from outside Finland, for example from the United States," the council wrote in a press release.
Denmark is in the race to recruit US researchers as well. Brian Mikkelsen, chief executive officer at The Danish Chamber of Commerce, has issued a direct invitation to American researchers in a LinkedIn post:
“To all the brilliant researchers in the US feeling uncertain right now: Denmark is open – and we need you!”
The Danish Chamber of Commerce and the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA) are proposing a fast-track program aimed at bringing up to 200 US researchers to Denmark over the next three years.
China sees opportunities
Yet, the Nordics are not the only actors seeing opportunities in the US' political havoc. Other European countries, such as France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, have also launched funds to recruit scientists and make it easier for them to relocate to Europe.
Last week, European Union commissioners announced €404.3 million in incentives to lure international academics to the continent at the Choose Europe for Science conference.
Arctic researchers, however, are worried about China establishing itself as an irreplaceable actor in polar science. In recent decades, China has upped its focus on the Arctic, calling itself a 'near-Arctic' state.
Recent reports show that the country is pursuing recently laid-off US scientists, particularly those with expertise in artificial intelligence.
In an interview with HNN last year, researcher Tim Reilly emphasized that the governance of the Arctic will be influenced from space in the future.
"My view is that the existential risk in the Arctic is going to be increasing governance from space, and the key enabler of that will be AI."
"China has already risen quickly as a scientific powerhouse in the polar regions since the beginning of the 2000s. With Russia and the US both out of the picture so to speak, China will have ample opportunities to fund and lead Arctic research," she said.
