Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US • Hacker News Board

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#11

Post by satanfirst » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:15 AM UTC

rednafi wrote: post #7

Europe really needs to fix the funding issue and language fragmentation. Otherwise there's no "luring people in." Every time someone brings this up, a bunch of people are like, "Have you ever worked in the EU? They all speak English at work." Yes, I have, and also on three other continents. Europe hasn’t adopted English at work that much, and no one I know is excited about dealing with racism, picking up the local la…

Drawing on one or even a few experiences for a conclusion for all of Europe in all sectors is a bit much. Scientific Organizations are not looking for local language skills. Many are in Germany which is very bureaucratic about other aspects of life, but they all spend their time on standardized International bureaucracy. The Universities in other countries might be harder to get in to, yet I wouldn't buy a $250k US University scratch ticket in a field like science. (The US University is a particularly poor investment for less qualified students.)

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#12

Post by klunger » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:17 AM UTC

My department (at a Norwegian university) is working on a headhunting plan. The way the ERC grants are structured, the applicant needs a sponsoring institute. So, we are identifying researchers who are working on relevant topics, if we think it will be a good fit (and/or if we have successfully collaborated with them in the past).

Some of the details are still being ironed out. The beauracracy is real! Even so, I guess the first emails will go out late next week.

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#13

Post by geremiiah » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:18 AM UTC

EU is offering what was on the table anyway. EU academia was always more accessible and less competitive than US academia, for obvious reasons. Downside of that is you get to work in environments with a sparser density of talent and accomplishments.

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#14

Post by pavlov » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:20 AM UTC

geremiiah wrote: post #13

EU is offering what was on the table anyway. EU academia was always more accessible and less competitive than US academia, for obvious reasons. Downside of that is you get to work in environments with a sparser density of talent and accomplishments.

That last part is what they're hoping will change now that the US has become hostile to foreign talent.

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#15

Post by DrFalkyn » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:22 AM UTC

geremiiah wrote: post #13

EU is offering what was on the table anyway. EU academia was always more accessible and less competitive than US academia, for obvious reasons. Downside of that is you get to work in environments with a sparser density of talent and accomplishments.

I thought it was the exact opposite. European universities were a lot harder to get a faculty appointment. And they tended to favor local candidates , Which is why you see a lot of US universities have foreign professors, but not as many European universities that do

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#16

Post by klunger » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:23 AM UTC

rednafi wrote: post #7

Europe really needs to fix the funding issue and language fragmentation. Otherwise there's no "luring people in." Every time someone brings this up, a bunch of people are like, "Have you ever worked in the EU? They all speak English at work." Yes, I have, and also on three other continents. Europe hasn’t adopted English at work that much, and no one I know is excited about dealing with racism, picking up the local la…

This reads like a bitter ex-employee. I guess you were in Germany?

There are plenty of European countries that do use English as the working language for technical fields, if there is not enough domestic talent.

What you say about the US research ecosystem may have been true until January 2025 but it is unfortuantely no longer the case. At the same time, the EU is finally getting its act together in both defense AND research funding. So I would forecast a sunnier future in Europe for scientists than the the US, at least for the next generation.

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#17

Post by klunger » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:25 AM UTC

geremiiah wrote: post #13

EU is offering what was on the table anyway. EU academia was always more accessible and less competitive than US academia, for obvious reasons. Downside of that is you get to work in environments with a sparser density of talent and accomplishments.

No, it is a new fund that is only for scientists coming from outside Europe. https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/choose-europe-science...

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#18

Post by geremiiah » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:27 AM UTC

DrFalkyn wrote: post #15

geremiiah wrote: post #13

EU is offering what was on the table anyway. EU academia was always more accessible and less competitive than US academia, for obvious reasons. Downside of that is you get to work in environments with a sparser density of talent and accomplishments.

I thought it was the exact opposite. European universities were a lot harder to get a faculty appointment. And they tended to favor local candidates , Which is why you see a lot of US universities have foreign professors, but not as many European universities that do

I was not talking about faculty appointments, but more junior academics. For people at that level I would think it even less likely that they would upend their whole life like this. They are probably married with kids at that point.

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#19

Post by DrFalkyn » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:31 AM UTC

geremiiah wrote: post #18

DrFalkyn wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought it was the exact opposite. European universities were a lot harder to get a faculty appointment. And they tended to favor local candidates , Which is why you see a lot of US universities have foreign professors, but not as many European universities that do

I was not talking about faculty appointments, but more junior academics. For people at that level I would think it even less likely that they would upend their whole life like this. They are probably married with kids at that point.

In academia you are forced to go where the jobs are, or else you leave the field. Yes I have known people married with kids who move overseas

Re: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

#20

Post by geremiiah » Sat, May 10, 2025, 8:33 AM UTC

klunger wrote: post #17

geremiiah wrote: post #13

EU is offering what was on the table anyway. EU academia was always more accessible and less competitive than US academia, for obvious reasons. Downside of that is you get to work in environments with a sparser density of talent and accomplishments.

No, it is a new fund that is only for scientists coming from outside Europe. https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/choose-europe-science...

What I mean, is that for any international academic who has managed to get into US academia, it was always an option to consider Europe, where funding was always easier to get.