Choose Europe, Choose Science, Choose the HQA®
Europe is significantly increasing its investment in recruiting global talent to join its scientific community. The European Commission…
Europe is significantly increasing its investment in recruiting global talent to join its scientific community. The European Commission has launched the Choose Europe for Science initiative, which will deploy €500 million over the next three years to attract researchers and scientists to the EU.
Attracting Global Talent to Europe
“Europe has made its choice. We are choosing to start a new age of invention and ingenuity. We are choosing to put research and innovation, science, and technology, at the heart of our economy. We are choosing to be the continent where universities are pillars of our societies and our way of life. We are choosing to be the continent where innovation serves humanity, where global talent is welcomed.”
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Those powerful words from Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, were the exclamation point on her inspiring speech at the Choose Europe for Science event held in Paris earlier this week. President von der Leyen stated her belief that “science holds the key to our future here in Europe” and underscored the critical role the pursuit of knowledge plays in “connecting people and creating a shared future in today’s fractured world.” She also revealed the European Research Council’s plan to create a seven-year ‘super grant’ to help offer a longer-term perspective to the world’s leading scientists.
“We have to make it easier and more attractive to come to Europe for research,” von der Leyen implored the audience. “We will better link up researchers with research institutions. We will speed up the process around entering and staying in Europe. We already have an excellent platform that links researchers worldwide with thousands of jobs in Europe, as well as providing visa support and career guidance. We now want to support public and private institutions to better link up to highly skilled workers and researchers, and to speed up and simplify the entry for top researchers. Because bringing the best from across the world is about bringing out the best of Europe.”
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Why American Scientists Are Choosing Europe for Research, Innovation, and Residency
The announcement comes in the wake of recent funding withdrawals and stop-work orders imposed on the scientific sector in the USA. Led by President Trump, the country’s current administration has also proposed deep cuts to US scientific agencies in 2026, which would see the National Science Foundation budget slashed by 56 percent, while that of the National Institutes of Health would decrease by approximately 40 percent.
With grant money and future funding drying up in the United States, researchers are strongly considering relocating to other countries or have done so already. In a poll of over 1,600 researchers conducted by Nature earlier this year, more than 75% of respondents indicated they are exploring options to leave the US, with Europe and Canada among the leading alternatives.
Portugal’s HQA® Program: A Gateway to Europe’s Scientific Community
Several European nations issued supportive statements following the introduction of the Choose Europe for Science project, however, one country has been actively demonstrating the commitment to the recruitment of global scientific talent that von der Leyen described in her address. The Portugal HQA® Program has been intentionally designed to attract researchers, scientists, and innovators to Portugal for the purpose of launching collaborative R&D projects with Portuguese universities.
By working hand-in-hand with globally recognized incubator, Empowered Startups, to develop the HQA® Program, Portugal has eliminated much of the bureaucratic red tape that von der Leyen lamented in her speech. Through extremely efficient vetting and processing, the HQA® Program has expedited the process of entering Europe and launching a startup.
The result has been a boon for Portugal’s innovation sector. Not only does the HQA® Program immediately inject foreign direct investment into the country’s research environment, but it also facilitates knowledge exchange, technology transfer, and talent retention by pairing experienced transnationals with Portuguese researchers and students.
While other European nations attempt to create or amend their programs in order to join the Choose Europe for Science movement, Portugal has already established itself as a leader and will continue to benefit as skilled members of the scientific community seek access to Europe’s worldclass research infrastructure.
Learn more about the HQA® Program
