鈥淏rain Drain鈥� in the U.S.
German programmes and strategies for attracting scientists from abroad
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The U.S. government is ramping up the pressure on universities and academics from overseas. The European Union, Germany鈥檚 federal government, state governments and research institutions are now launching programmes to lure researchers to Germany. An overview.
Updated: 2025-05-08
More applications from international academics
With the U.S. administration having begun significantly limiting the academic freedoms of universities and scientists in combination with severe funding cuts, . 鈥� or, as in the case of fascism researcher and philosopher Jason Stanley, have already done so. Might this be an opportunity for Germany to attract top researchers?
Even if the concept of 鈥減oaching鈥� is a controversial one, efforts are afoot to attract academics to Germany. And some interest is apparently being shown by foreign researchers. The German daily Die Welt reported that the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has recently begun receiving more enquiries than normal from the United States. The number of applicants from the U.S. for the , which offers foreign guest professors stays of up to three months, has also risen significantly.
, however, there have thus far been only sporadic enquiries from the U.S. regarding employment at universities 鈥� a statement supplied in response to a query from the Social Democrats in state parliament. The Ministry did say, though, that scientists 鈥渇rom other parts of the world are interested in working in Europe. These are researchers who, because of the passports they hold, are either facing the possibility of being denied entry into the U.S. or who have doubts as to how welcome they will be in the long term.鈥� Baden-W眉rttemberg hopes to actively endeavour to attract specialists and expand immigration support services.
Berlin is also eager to attract researchers from the U.S. The is in the process of establishing a fund to provide support to Berlin-based research institutes interested in bringing in researchers from abroad.
The following is a presentation of the initiatives and programmes the German federal government, the EU and research institutes like the Max Planck Institute are planning to implement in an effort to attract researchers to Germany.
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Are you interested in a job in Germany, Switzerland or Austria? You can find helpful information on our topic page 鈥極pportunities and programmes for foreign researchers in Germany鈥�.
Federal government: 鈥�1,000 Experts Programme鈥� / Meitner-Einstein Programme
The German government is hoping to bring top, early-career researchers and academics to Germany from the U.S. who are no longer able to conduct their work back home or who now find themselves facing hurdles to doing so. Referred to as the 鈥�,鈥� the effort is based on hopes that Germany, with its legally guaranteed freedom for researchers, could be an attractive destination, especially for scientists potentially facing oppression at home.
The Meitner-Einstein Programme, meanwhile, is to be coordinated by the German Research Foundation and funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space with the goal of creating 100 professorships. In combination with a number of measures to promote social and professional integration, the programme is aimed offering attractive, long-term career prospects for U.S. academics.
Additional plans call for simplified and accelerated visa processing in addition to improved financial support: Institutions like the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation will be receiving additional funding to support scientists. The selection of participants will be based on a competitive, quality-based procedure with a focus on strategically important fields of research, including artificial intelligence, robotics, environmental and climate research, health sciences and additional STEM disciplines.
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EU Programme: Choose Europe for Science
The EU has launched a comprehensive new programme aimed at attracting U.S.-based scientists to Europe called . As recently , the EU is investing 500 million euros by 2027 鈥渢o make Europe a magnet for researchers.鈥�
ERC Advanced Grant: 鈥淪uper grant鈥� for top researchers
May 22, 2025, will see the beginning of the application phase for the awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) and aimed at researchers in all disciplines and from all countries of the world. The award is for up to 2.5 million euros over a period of five years (pro rata for projects with shorter durations). An additional 1 million euros can be provided to assist researchers who are relocating from a third country to the EU or to an associated country and/or for the purchase of major equipment and/or to help with access to large-scale facilities and/or to cover other important costs for experiments and fieldwork.
The Advanced Grant can cover up to 100 percent of the total eligible direct costs of the research work plus an additional contribution of 25 percent of the total eligible direct costs for indirect costs. According to von der Leyen, this 鈥渟uper grant鈥� will also be made available in 2026 and 2027.
Max Planck Society: Trans-Atlantic Programme
Beyond the programmes being planned by the German government and the EU, individual institutes are also introducing measures to attract top researchers from abroad. Patrick Cramer, president of the , recently announced a trans-Atlantic programme after returning from a trip to the United States. According to an interview Cramer recently gave to the , collaboration centres are to be established between the Max Planck Society and leading institutions in the U.S., with each side providing 5 million euros over the course of around 10 years. Because the money on the U.S. side is to come from private sources, 鈥渨e can focus on issues like climate science and biomedicine that are currently facing sharp cuts in the U.S.,鈥� Cramer said. The framework will also facilitate the exchange of talent, he said.
In the interview with ZEIT, Cramer also spoke of a new postdoc programme launched by the Max Planck Society on April 1. The application period for the first 50 of these spots will close on May 13, 2025, but new calls for applications will be following, with one period ending on September 1 of this year and another on March 1, 2026. Max Planck is also offering six-year research group leader positions for 鈥渉ighly trained postdocs who are unable to find a job in the U.S. because of the hiring freeze there,鈥� Cramer said.
