French university offers US academics ‘scientific asylum; 300 from NASA, Stanford, Yale apply for 15 seats

Aix-Marseille University in France has been inundated with applications from US-based researchers after launching its pioneering ‘Safe Place for Science’ programme, designed to offer a haven for academics facing mounting constraints on academic freedom and research funding in the United States.

Nearly 300 researchers have applied for the scheme, which promises three years of funding, access to cutting-edge facilities, and full integration into the university’s vibrant scientific community.

The ‘Safe Place for Science’ initiative, backed by up to €15 million from the AMIDEX foundation and supported by leading French research institutions, aims to welcome around 15 scholars specialising in fields such as climate science, health, social sciences, and the humanities—areas particularly vulnerable to political or institutional pressures in the US.

The university’s president, Eric Berton, emphasised that the programme is committed to providing an environment conducive to innovation, excellence, and true academic freedom, and called on other European universities to follow suit.

Applications have come from prestigious institutions including NASA, Stanford, Yale, and Johns Hopkins, with the university noting a significant number of candidates are working in research areas at risk of censorship or funding cuts in America.

The selection process is now underway, with successful candidates expected to begin their fellowships in early June. In addition to research funding, the programme offers comprehensive support for relocation and integration, reflecting France’s ambition to position itself as a global sanctuary for scientific talent.

The ‘Safe Place for Science’ initiative is part of a larger European movement to attract international researchers at a time when academic freedom is increasingly under threat in various parts of the world.

Hollande Advocates for ‘Scientific Refugee’ Status

François Hollande, a former president of France and a current Socialist MP, recently joined forces with Berton to call for France to recognise embattled researchers from around the world as refugees.

“Just like the expression of divergent opinions, their work, which is a source of innovation and knowledge, has become a risk for the propaganda of regimes,” the pair recently wrote in Libération.

Academics, much like journalists or political opponents, should be able to qualify for protection, they argued. “Indeed, current asylum mechanisms do not take into account the specificities of the academic environment and the threats facing scientists within authoritarian regimes,” they wrote. “This is why we are making an urgent request, one that is appropriate for the current situation: the creation of a ‘scientific refugee’ status.”