Paris, 5 May 2025 — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stood alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at La Sorbonne University to launch Choose Europe for Science, a flagship initiative designed to position Europe as the world's leading destination for researchers and innovators. The launch unveiled a €500 million funding package for the 2025–2027 period and a suite of measures aimed at attracting and retaining top global scientific talent.
The announcement came at a moment of growing concern in Europe about research brain drain, particularly to the United States, and against the backdrop of policy changes in Washington that have disrupted the American research landscape. Von der Leyen's message was direct: Europe is choosing science, and it wants science to choose Europe in return.
The €500 Million Package
The Choose Europe for Science package, compiled by the European Commission and subsequently made available on the EURAXESS platform, consolidates more than 60 regional, national, and EU funding and support schemes. According to the Commission, the package highlights billions of euros worth of opportunities for researchers at every career stage — from competitive grants and mobility schemes to tenure-track positions, fellowships for researchers at risk, and career development support across all 27 Member States.
Core Measures
The initiative introduces several new and expanded funding instruments:
ERC Super Grants
The European Research Council will launch a new Super Grant initiative offering grants of seven-year duration — significantly longer than standard ERC grants — to provide researchers with the stability needed for ambitious, long-term research programmes.
Doubled ERC Relocation Support
The Commission committed to doubling the top-up funding provided by the ERC for researchers relocating to Europe. Under the new scheme, ERC Advanced Grant holders will receive additional support of €2 million per researcher to cover eligible relocation and start-up costs, including personnel expenses, equipment, and access to large facilities.
MSCA Choose Europe for Science Pilot
Launched on 15 May 2025, the MSCA Choose Europe for Science Pilot offers extended postdoctoral fellowships and encourages institutions to provide longer-term employment opportunities. The pilot has a budget of €22.5 million and is designed to attract and retain top early-career research talent globally.
ERA Chairs Expansion
The Commission proposed a new call for European Research Area (ERA) Chairs worth €230 million under the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–27. If endorsed by Member States, the call would more than double the budget of the previous round and could support up to 120 top researchers and research managers working in countries lagging behind in research and innovation performance.
| Instrument | Budget | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| ERC Super Grants | TBC | Seven-year grant duration |
| ERC Advanced Grant relocation top-up | €2 million per researcher | Covers relocation, start-up, personnel, equipment |
| MSCA Choose Europe Pilot | €22.5 million | Extended postdoctoral fellowships, longer contracts |
| ERA Chairs (proposed 2026–27) | €230 million | Up to 120 researchers in widening countries |
| Total Choose Europe package | €500 million (2025–2027) | Consolidation of 60+ schemes |
A Values-Driven Research Environment
Beyond funding, the Choose Europe initiative emphasises the qualitative factors that make Europe attractive to researchers: academic freedom, stable research careers, and high living standards. The Commission is also working to legally embed the freedom of scientific research within a renewed European Research Act, providing a legal safeguard against political interference in scientific inquiry.
"Europe is choosing science, and we are making the case for science to choose Europe. Funding and support are available at European, national and regional level. We are bringing everything together in one place so that international researchers can become active players on team Europe." — Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva, 23 May 2025
The Competitiveness Council Presentation
On 23 May 2025, Commissioner Zaharieva presented a snapshot of the consolidated Choose Europe package at the Competitiveness Council, where EU research ministers also formally adopted the ERA Policy Agenda 2025–2027. The dual announcement — of the talent attraction package and the new policy agenda — signalled a coordinated push to strengthen Europe's research landscape on multiple fronts simultaneously.
The ERA Policy Agenda 2025–2027, adopted in the 25th anniversary year of the European Research Area, aims to create a so-called "fifth freedom" — a single market for research, innovation, and technology — by improving coordination of R&I policies at all levels, streamlining research career paths, and facilitating researchers' mobility and knowledge sharing across Europe.
Context: Global Talent Competition
The launch of Choose Europe for Science occurs amid significant disruption in the global research landscape. In the United States, policy changes under the second Trump administration — including proposed cuts to federal research funding and restrictions on certain areas of inquiry — have created uncertainty for researchers at American universities and federal laboratories. European universities and research institutions have moved quickly to capitalise, with several countries — including France, Germany, and the Netherlands — announcing expedited hiring pathways for researchers seeking to relocate.
The EURAXESS platform, which serves as the EU's primary portal for researchers seeking opportunities in Europe, has been positioned as the central access point for the Choose Europe package, providing information on funding schemes, visa procedures, housing, and tax conditions across Member States.
Implications
For European research institutions, the Choose Europe initiative provides both resources and a political mandate to intensify international recruitment. For researchers worldwide — particularly those facing funding cuts or political constraints in their home countries — the package represents a concrete set of opportunities backed by significant EU investment.
The success of the initiative will ultimately depend on whether the financial incentives are sufficient to overcome structural barriers: language differences, bureaucratic complexity in cross-border mobility, and the persistent gap in research infrastructure between older and newer Member States. The €230 million ERA Chairs expansion, if endorsed, could help address the latter by directing resources to institutions in widening countries.
Sources:
- European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, "Choose Europe for Science: EU comes together to attract top research talent," 23 May 2025
- DAAD Brussels Office, "Choose Europe: A new EU initiative to attract global scientific talents," 26 May 2025
- Campus France, "Choose Europe for Science Initiative: landmark announcement for researchers from all over the world," 2025
- European University Association, "Horizon Europe work programme 2025: new funding opportunities for universities," 16 May 2025
- EURAXESS platform, euraxess.ec.europa.eu
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Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
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