The first researchers fleeing US spending cuts imposed by President Donald Trump will start work at a French university in June, officials have said.
Aix Marseille University said on Thursday its "Safe Place for Science" scheme received a flood of applicants after announcing in March it would open its doors to US scientists threatened by cuts.
Of 298 applications, 242 were deemed eligible and "are being studied" for some 20 available posts, the university said in a statement.
It added that 135 of the applicants were US citizens, and 45 were dual citizens.
University president Eric Berton said he wanted to see a new status of "refugee scientist" created, and for more US researchers to be welcomed in France and Europe.
A bill establishing such a status was presented in the French parliament on Monday by former president Francois Hollande, now a deputy.
Aix Marseille University has previously brought in 25 scientists from Ukraine, Yemen, Afghanistan, and occupied Palestine under another programme for researchers under threat.
The university has set aside a budget so that each researcher taken in receives between 600,000 and 800,000 euros ($680,00-$910,000) over three years to continue their work.
It said the applicants were from a variety of US institutions, including Johns Hopkins, NASA, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Cutting billions
A selection panel will meet next Wednesday, followed by remote interviews before the first scientists arrive in early June.
According to media reports, some US researchers and scientists are reportedly moving to Europe, citing major disruptions in the American research landscape, largely due to policy shifts under the Trump administration.
The administration has slashed federal research budgets, cutting billions from vital agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NASA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For example, the NIH cancelled numerous grants that were no longer in line with the agency’s evolving priorities, while cuts to USAID funding have left important research projects stranded without support.
A survey by Nature revealed that many US scientists are considering leaving, with postgraduate researchers (79 percent) and PhD students (75 percent) particularly impacted by the funding uncertainty.
