The government creates 78 positions to recruit high-level scientists fleeing the United States.

BarcelonaThis year, the government will launch a program with 78 positions in Catalonia for "high-level" researchers working in the United States. As reported by the ARA, The Catalan government was finalizing a plan to hunt down American researchers who would be harmed by Donald Trump's policies. And this Monday, President Salvador Illa put a face, eyes—and figures—to that project.

Illa announced that the Catalunya Talent Bridge will be endowed with 30 million euros and will last three years. The objective, according to Isla, is to counteract the scientific "denialism" of the United States and attract the talent of researchers who are considering leaving the country because they see no possibilities for developing their professional careers. "Given the denialism we see in some countries, in this case the United States, for all those people who may see their academic freedom restricted or their research projects frustrated, who feel they are not in the right environment, we are launching the Catalunya Talent Bridge," the head of the executive defended at the closing of the conference. Expansion.

What will this program consist of? The project is aimed at researchers at different stages of their professional careers, and the Catalan government wants to "guarantee the continuity of their research in a free, safe, and scientifically committed environment." By 2025, the government already plans to recruit 26 scientists. The selection will be made through the Icrea, Pla Serra Húnter, and Beatriz de Pinós programs. The project will be developed in collaboration with the 12 Catalan universities, but also with the country's 42 research centers and three scientific and technical infrastructures, such as the Alba synchrotron, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – National Supercomputing Center, and the National Center for Genomic Analysis.

Enter the "international talent circuit"

"Catalonia has 40 research centers of excellence offering 70 places to those researchers who wish to participate, with a single requirement: a commitment to the highest level of excellence," stated Illa. The president emphasized that this program aims to place Catalonia "on the international talent circuit" in response to the position of the US Trump administration, which he has accused of "censoring" university and scientific research and eliminating public health programs. Salvador Illa, in this regard, has been advocating for weeks to "strengthen" Europe to counter the policies of the US administration and wants Catalonia to play a leading role. The Catalan government maintains that this project "strengthens" the Catalan research system with international talent and "reinforces" alliances with scientific institutions in the United States.