U.S. drugmakers, universities and research institutions have long attracted top talent from around the world. But in the wake of slashed budgets and decimated research, the international brain drain could soon reverse.
American scientists are increasingly looking for career opportunities overseas, where governments are ready to welcome them with open arms and, in the form of new financial incentives, open wallets, according to Natalie Derry, a managing partner and practice leader at the executive search firm WittKieffer.
“If you look at the amount and the ways they’re losing funding in the U.S., it makes it difficult for their careers to continue,” Derry said. “Apart from being able to move to another country that's going to provide you with protected funding possibly for the next five years, the ability to be able to grow your lab, look at spinout opportunities and things like that in some of the top U.K. and European destinations is obviously very attractive.”
The number of U.S. academics and researchers who are interested in looking for work in either the U.S. or Europe has grown, Derry said.
Those proactively reaching out to WittKieffer to ask about opportunities are primarily researchers rather than executives, said David Molen, a managing director in the firm’s global healthcare and life sciences practice.
The growing exodus from the U.S. isn’t just anecdotal. Seventy-five percent of US scientists polled by the journal Nature in March said they were considering leaving the country, with many saying they were looking for jobs in Europe and Canada.
Shifting opportunities
Nearly every day, new headlines signal narrowing opportunities for U.S. life sciences workers and academic researchers amid seismic shifts in drug development.
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to cut nearly $800 million in NIH grant funding, while the Massachusetts biotech industry noted an accompanying drop in jobs and funding. In addition, the FDA narrowed recommendations for COVID-19 boosters, leading to a spate of resignations at the CDC, as well as the sudden ousting of Susan Monarez, who served as the agency’s director for just a month.
Governments in Europe and the U.K. are responding with new incentive programs intended to draw international scientists, specifically from the U.S., Derry said.
“These have all been initiated within the past four months to take advantage of the recent changes in the U.S.,” she said.
Since March, the Netherlands and France have each launched funds for this purpose, with Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Eppo Bruins saying, “The world is changing. Tensions are on the rise. We are seeing an increase in the number of scientists looking for another place to continue their work. I want more top international scientists to do so here in the Netherlands.”
In the U.K., the taxpayer-funded Global Talent Fund will be awarding £54 million in grants to 12 research organizations, helping them “rapidly recruit and embed teams of international researchers by covering both relocation and research costs.” The grants will start in the 2025-26 fiscal year and run for five years.
The European Commission approved a €500 million funding package for 2025 through 2027 that aims to “make Europe a magnet for researchers.” The EC promised scientific freedom, predictable funding, cutting-edge facilities, and affordable healthcare and education.
Their pitch speaks directly to the mood of many U.S. scientists, Derry said.
“They feel that science is being deemed not important anymore and they're looking to see how that will translate moving forward,” she said. “They find it very difficult to see how their areas of expertise are able to grow in the next few years, considering what's happening presently.”
What’s next
It’s too early to tell how many researchers will follow through on moving, Derry said. Many candidates are still in active conversations, and job negotiations and immigration processes can be lengthy.
Furthermore, some scientists who had been recruited to the U.S. from overseas may simply return home in the wake of the budget cuts and culture shifts. Others may have already left.
“At this stage, the outcomes of this will probably start to trickle through toward the end of the year,” Derry said.
