Could U.S. scientists help boost Europe's impact industry?

President Trump's administration announced deep cuts to public science funding earlier this month, and ever since then the world's science community has been debating the likely impact, both on the U.S. economy and the future of scientific research.

Now, Meta's Chief AI scientist Yann LeCun has waded into the debate with a focus on science talent. He argues that Europe should be making the most of the situation, by recruiting some of the many U.S.-based scientists "looking for a Plan B." "Hey Europe, you want a vibrant tech industry, right?," he wrote on LinkedIn this week. "You may have an opportunity to attract some of the best scientists in the world."

The value of freedom and funding

LeCun believes that many scientists currently based in the U.S. would be willing to move abroad, as long as they have the means to remain creative and productive. In his LinkedIn post he outlines seven criteria he believes can lure them to the EU. These include having access to top students and junior collaborators, the freedom to delve into the issues they consider "most promising", good compensation (comparable with salaries at top U.S., Canadian or Swiss institutions), and of course, access to research funding.

The Meta scientist is transparent that Europe has historically lagged behind the U.S., when it comes to both salaries and access to research funding. However, improving this situation would, he argues, be a "pretty straightforward" solution to making European science and technology research professions more attractive.

For Europe's impact scene, attracting U.S. talent clearly has the potential to significantly affect the ecosystem. Over 40 percent of Europe's leading universities already operate venture funds to invest in spinouts (companies built on academic research breakthroughs). If leading U.S. researchers were to relocate, it could strengthen university talent pools and potentially lead to more research being commercialised into climate, health tech and social impact companies.

EU universities: lower salaries, higher social benefits

But LeCun's comments have ignited intense online debate, with many arguing this hypothesis will be hard to realise. Within 24 hours of his post going live, it had almost 20,000 reactions and 800 comments, many of them from both scientists and tech workers who argued there is no way Europe will be able to compete with the U.S. on salaries.

Plenty echoed the sentiment of Berlin-based chemist and partnerships manager Mikel Mangold who posted: "Going from 250k salary to 40k salary in France at CNRS [France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)]. Don't know how this is attractive."

Matthew Swindall, an AI and machine learning researcher based in Illinois in the U.S. added: "As a recent PhD graduate, I applied to numerous institutions across Europe, Canada, and the U.S. The only offer I received from the EU was a postdoc paying less than €40k [$41k]. While the job would have been great and I still hope to live in the EU someday, I couldn't justify moving overseas for that kind of pay."

We can safely go out at night

However others highlighted the fact that salaries vary widely across the European Union, with some nations' academic institutions offering better pay packets than others. Meanwhile many commenters pointed out that EU countries provide the kinds of social benefits that Americans typically have to fund privately.

"A full professor in the Netherlands can make well over €100k [$104k]. True, in the USA that's a factor 2x to 4x more, but we can safely go out at night, children can play outside and have almost free education, healthcare is affordable," wrote Martijn Heck, a Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands.

"You can't compare the cultures," added Kasper Lassner, a Zurich-based consultant. "Even here in Zürich, where we attract a lot of brilliant talent, you will live in a rented flat, use public transport and go hike in the mountains. Most people I've met that have been attracted by our universities have a different concept of how societies should work. They don't come here because they could get rich. Their ideological values are already much more European to begin with."

The debate highlights a complex reality: while Europe may struggle to match U.S. salaries, the continent offers distinct advantages - from social benefits to quality of life - that could appeal to U.S. researchers whose priorities align with European values. This could be particularly relevant for academics and researchers focused on impact sectors like climate tech and sustainable development, where Europe's strong environmental policies and social innovation ecosystem might outweigh pure salary considerations. As the transatlantic talent competition heats up, European institutions' next moves could determine whether LeCun's vision becomes reality.

What's your perspective on this debate? Are you a researcher who has made the move between continents, or are you considering it? Share your experience at editorial@loop.se or join the discussion on LinkedIn.