Europe sees an opportunity to close the technological gap by attracting US scientists and researchers who are disillusioned by Trump administration funding cuts.

The Trump administration has cut vast swaths of federal funding, with much of the cuts centered around anything even remotely involving DEI initiatives.

According to AP News, Europe hopes to attract disillusioned scientists by dedicating 500 million euros ($566 million) over 2025-2027. The goal, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is “to make Europe a magnet for researchers.”

“A few years ago, no one would have imagined that one of the biggest democracies in the world would cancel research programs under the pretext that the word diversity was in this program,” said French President Emmanuel Macron at the “Choose Europe for Science” event.

“No one would have thought that one of the biggest democracies in the world would delete with a stroke the ability of one researcher or another to obtain visas,” Macron added. “But here we are.”

The EU has grown increasingly concerned with its dependence on US technology, with various initiatives designed to help close the gap and increase the bloc’s technological independence. Attracting top scientists who work in the US has been de-funded could end up being one of the single biggest boons to the EU’s efforts.