The exodus of American researchers, faced with attacks from the Trump administration against universities and scientific research, continues – and some find refuge in Spain. This is the case for 21 of them, out of the 37 applications selected in the latest session of the Atrae program, launched in 2023 by the government of Pedro Sánchez, report El País.
“For three years, more than 254 researchers from around the world have applied under this program aimed at attracting internationally renowned researchers to Spain. Among them, 33.5% were based in the United States,” states the Madrid-based newspaper.
In 2023, no applications came from across the Atlantic. In 2024, 16% of the applications were submitted by American applicants. Last year, this proportion doubled, “as a result of Donald Trump’s attempts to exercise political control over research programs conducted in the United States.”
Among the selected candidates, not all are American citizens, but all were part of a laboratory based in the United States. And they all testify today to the “very complicated” situation in which their colleagues still in the country find themselves. “I have never seen this. I am very sorry for the researchers and students. They are very talented and facing serious difficulties. The United States is taking a step back,” confirms Audrey Sawyer, a 43-year-old hydrogeologist from Florida.
The Trump administration “systematically attacked science by reducing budgets and freezing funds and grants that support essential research in biomedicine, climate change, and space exploration,” recalls El País. This is in addition to an open war waged against certain universities.
Italian Vincenzo Calvanese is researching leukemia. He spent ten years in the United States, mainly at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), before trying his luck in 2024 during the Atrae program’s call for applications. He is now leading a new laboratory at the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute (IJC) in Barcelona. “I personally contacted people in the United States who might be interested in the Atrae scholarship. I explain to them that this is one of the few opportunities to ensure the future of research and obtain some professional security.”
Again this year, each of the scientists selected under the Atrae program will receive an average of 1 million euros to build their research team and create their own laboratory in Spain within a scientific institution or university.
