Austria is positioning itself as a refuge for academics and researchers affected by the Trump administration's policies toward higher education, with at least one specialist already saying he saw "the writing on the wall" before relocating to Vienna.
Wali Malik, a specialist in lab robotics, moved from Boston to lead the development of robotic infrastructure at Aithyra, a life sciences research institution founded in 2024. He said he witnessed mass layoffs at the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and his own work slowed as federal grants were rescinded. "It took trust for the US to become a scientific powerhouse. It took 70 years – and was destroyed within six months," he said.
Austria's minister for women in science and research, Eva-Maria Holzleitner, described the US's self-inflicted attack on academia as "really shocking" and a setback to the scientific community as a whole. But she said it also offers Austria the opportunity to pitch itself as "a safe haven for science and research and innovation."
Her ministry has sought to attract at least 50 academics from the US within a year, with half through a fast-track hiring initiative for professors and half through a fellowship program for early- and mid-career researchers. Meanwhile, the Austrian Academy of Sciences announced its first fellowship program targeting academics of all nationalities at US institutions, awarding €500,000 to each of 25 recipients. Its president, Heinz Faßmann, said: "Thank Trump for this brain gain."
Austria is not alone in seeking to benefit from the academic fallout. Three prominent anti-fascist academics at Yale University have accepted positions at the University of Toronto, and France's Aix-Marseille University received more than 500 inquiries about its campaign to lure American researchers. The Trump administration has arrested and sought to deport students who campaign against US support for Israel, and has restricted on-campus support for transgender people.
