Thirteen European countries, including France, Germany, and Spain, have taken action to attract talents from the US.

The Trump administration in the US argues that billions of dollars in cuts are needed to reduce the federal deficit and control the country’s debt.

These cuts in research come at a time when Trump is criticizing universities for their diversity policies, accusing them of being discriminatory.

The threat to the livelihoods of academics at universities like Yale, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins has given hope to political leaders in Europe that they could attract an “intellectual lucky streak.”

A letter signed by 13 European countries, including France, Germany, and Spain, in March and examined by Reuters urges the EU Commission to swiftly act in attracting academic talents.

The European Research Council, an EU body funding scientific research, told Reuters it would double the relocation budget to support researchers moving to the EU, increasing the funding to 2 million euros per applicant, covering costs such as setting up a laboratory at a European institution.

As part of coalition talks for a new government in Germany, negotiations documents seen by Reuters in March show plans by conservatives and Social Democrats to attract around a thousand researchers.

Thirteen European universities and research institutes consulted by Reuters reported an increase in the number of US-based professionals considering crossing the Atlantic.