Choose Europe for Science initiative landmark announcement: “Researchers from all over the world, choose Europe for science! ”

All audiences

All the Europe of research was in Paris on 5 May! At the initiative of French president Macron, a meeting was organised at the Sorbonne with European Commission president Van der Leyen to gather the biggest names of European research, university deans, research representatives and big companies. The objective was to officially launch the Choose Europe for Science initiative and show how France and Europe can be places of stability and academic freedom for researchers all over the world.

“This call is directed to all free minds who want to work for science and defend a certain vision of society. Researchers from all over the world, choose Europe for science! ”. With this message on X, French president Macron opened the day of 5th May which, according to the ministry in charge of research, “marks a profound turning point in the commitment of Europe for Research, and should kickstart a momentum at European scale”.

Creating the best reception conditions

In a context of “unstable international context”, the ministry goes on, the idea of the day was to “create the conditions to attract in Europe the best and brightest international scientists and put over the long course research at the heart of the process strengthening the European strategic autonomy”.

In his closing speech, Macron reminded that the Choose France for Science initiative, really launched a few weeks ago, “generated over 30,000 visits, one-third from the United States, with several hundred application files opened”. The goal is to “welcome talent at every level, from PhD students to Nobel laureates, including post-docs and junior professors, based solely on the quality of their work”.

The French presidency website explains that, in his speech, president Macron also “shared a vision in which research turns into a lever for independence, competitiveness and sovereignty”, through the following means:

“strengthening free research”;
a “policy of innovation and attractiveness”;
“Investments for the next major scientific and technologic challenges.”

About this particular point, Macron announced that “additional funding will be allocated, €100 million from the State” through France 2030.

Towards “super grants”

And the European Commission also announced “super grants”! These “super grants” were announced on 5 May by EC president Ursula von der Leyen in her speech at the Sorbonne, where she spoke next to president Macron.

The operational details of the new funding instrument are being developed by the European Research Council (ERC) and will be announced in due course. However, the Commission grants will “follow the same principles as other ERC grants”, i.e.

projects will “be selected on the basis of scientific excellence only”;
they will be for “all areas of research”;
they will be “open to individual researchers of any nationality, working at or ready to move to a host institution in an EU Member State or a country associated to the EU R&I framework programme Horizon Europe”.

In addition, last month, the ERC Scientific Council decided to “double the additional funding available for grantees relocating to Europe”. So, “researchers based in the USA or elsewhere in the world who wish to move to Europe” could “apply for up to €1 million beyond the usual maximum grant amount to set up a laboratory or research team”. As of May, the ERC plans to “increase this to up to an additional €2 million”, as referred to by President von der Leyen in her speech at the Sorbonne.