Netherlands considering recruiting American scientists fleeing the Trump administration

Scientific institutions in Europe and beyond are fighting to attract American scientists and researchers who want to escape the Donald Trump administration. Dutch scientists have also had such talks with their American colleagues, a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences told the Financieele Dagblad. “But it is now mainly our duty to support free science.” A KNAW spokesperson told BNR that it is “busy with the discussion” about what the Netherlands can do in the area of recruitment. And again we want to emphasize that science exists by the grace of international cooperation and academic freedom and independence.” The Universities of the Netherlands, the umbrella organization for the 14 public universities in the Netherlands, told BNR that the Dutch universities currently don’t have a recruitment program set up, but are looking into it. The UNL spokesperson added that recruiting American scientists will prove difficult in practice because the Dutch government is also cutting billions from higher education budgets.