The Spanish government will allocate up to 45 million euros to attract prestigious researchers.
The executive disassociates the plan from Trump's scientific crusade and insists that it is open to professionals from around the world.
BarcelonaThe Spanish government will approve this Tuesday in the Council of Ministers a call for proposals worth up to 45 million euros for one year to attract renowned researchers from around the world. This is an initiative within the ATRAE program, first launched three years ago, according to the announcement. The Newspaper and sources familiar with the matter have confirmed to ARA. The plan comes at a time when American scientists are being affected by Donald Trump's policies, which are cutting project funding and censoring certain lines of research. However, sources within the Spanish government disassociate this talent attraction strategy from the situation in the US and affirm that it is an annual call open to national and international researchers.
The third edition of this program, which falls under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and is managed by the State Research Agency, will have €15 million more than the previous edition. In fact, the first two editions have had a total of €55 million (combined). The objective is to facilitate the incorporation of established research talent, of recognized international prestige, who have recently developed a significant period of their activity abroad "in order to promote a more globally competitive Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation system," according to the program's rules.
The call is aimed at researchers who are among the top 10% of professionals in their area of specialization, leaders of scientific projects of the European Research Council (ERC), and all those who have made "contributions of great relevance and impact" in their field. In previous editions, some leading scientists have been selected in areas such as early cancer detection and the development of personalized therapies, the molecular regulation of obesity, the study of neural circuits, or the generation of tools to analyze stellar populations in the galactic disk.
Terrabastall Trump
Different countries have recently made moves to recruit scientific talent, given that, according to a survey published in the magazine Nature, nearly three out of four researchers currently working in the United States are considering leaving due to Trump's actions. For example, because he's canceling scholarships, cutting funding, and censoring some lines of research related to gender perspectives, diversity, and the climate crisis, among others. In fact, the Generalitat (Catalan government) also announced last week that it was launching a 78-place program in Catalonia this year for "high-level" researchers working in the United States.
As reported by ARA,The Catalan government has drawn up a plan to hunt down American researchers who would be harmed by Trump's policies., called Catalunya Talent Bridge, and has allocated €30 million over the next three years. The European Commission has also received requests from parliamentarians, member states, and companies to strengthen talent acquisition programs to attract researchers currently working in the US with an increase in funding (from €1 to €2 million) for principal investigators who move to the EU.
On the other side of the coin, however, is the potential impact of Trump's crusade against science. In Catalonia, of the 42 research centers of excellence (CERCA), 28 have some kind of relationship, agreement, or stable collaboration with US organizations. Most are with public institutions, such as universities.
