A tour of European, national and institutional initiatives to attract international researchers in 2025

The first half of 2025 saw an increasing awareness of researchers and higher education professionals impacted by geopolitical or political situations in the world (the second Trump administration in the U.S., with its reforms and budget cuts, as well as conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, for example). This led Europe and European countries to develop initiatives to attract international researchers.

In May 2025, the Choose Europe initiative 2025-2027 was launched, with a new €500 M package. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, stated that "science is an investment, and we need to offer the right incentives" and that she aimed "to make Europe a magnet for researchers".

The Commission will:
• Double the grants for principal investigators moving to the EU and "create a seven-year 'super-grant' to offer a longer-term perspective to the very best researchers" as part of the ERC.
• Launch the Choose Europe pilot project of the Marie Curie Actions, planned for 2025 and endowed with €22.5 M: "Early-career scientists who choose Europe will benefit from higher allowances…