As US scientists flee Trump, MP urges Britain to do more to nab them

One concrete suggestion: Looser visa requirements

The EU and nation states have already heralded schemes to attract top scientific talent seeking to escape the Republic of Trump. So where's Britain in the mix?

The chair of UK Parliamentary's Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has written a letter to the Minister for Science Lord Patrick Vallance, asking for more effort to lure boffins fleeing the land of the not-so-free-anymore.

"Some universities in Europe have already begun to actively recruit researchers from the US, and countries such as Netherlands and Australia have set up funds to recruit top foreign scientists. The latter is inviting contributions from funders to support a 'national, coordinated effort' to provide a competitive relocation package for scientists leaving the US," wrote Chinyelu "Chi" Onwurah, the Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central and West.

The EU recently launched a €500 million ($566 million) plan to pull in scientists from abroad, with France pledging another €100 million ($113 million) to help, she noted.

It's like a reversal of the Brain Drain that Britain suffered from the 1960s onwards, where talented and highly educated UK nationals headed west in search of higher pay and better prospects in America.

Britain is understood to be aiming to attract ten specific classes of researchers, but the relevant scheme is likely to get £50 million ($67 million) in funding.

Onwurah called for the government to go further and deliver targeted support for scientists seeking to leave the US, specifically, considering options such as relaxing visa requirements.

In my conversations with US academics, they have emphasized that they would value expressions of support from the UK

"In my conversations with US academics, they have emphasized that they would value expressions of support from the UK," she claimed.

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee previously questioned Lord Vallance on this issue, with Emily Darlington, MP for Milton Keynes Central, noting the "hollowing out" of funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US, and hostile attitudes to vaccines and stem cell research.

She asked whether this presented an opportunity for the UK to step forward in areas that the US's new administration is not comfortable with funding, and pondered if the UK should be looking at additional incentives to entice scientists in those areas.

"If you look at the history of science in the UK, we have always relied on immigration of top talent," Lord Vallance replied. "We will continue to do so and, therefore, all our systems must be geared to do that. The question of how we get the visa system right is important." He also claimed that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had expressed a willingness to "push the visa system to be welcoming to scientists and engineers."

However, UK visa costs may be as much as 17 times higher than those in comparable countries, according to Onwurah. For non-EU students wanting to do their postdoctoral research, that's £524 ($694) just to apply for the visa plus the health surcharge (£1,552 or $1,745 for a 2-year visa, for example). For qualified scientists coming in on a "Global Talent" visa to work in research or pursue academic careers, it's £766 (c $1,017) for the visa plus a mandatory health surcharge of £1,035 ($1,375) per year.

Germany, by contrast, only charges third-country nationals a €90 ($101) visa fee if they hold a doctoral degree and plan to do postdoc research in Germany. France's researcher talent visa costs €225 ($253) for four years – although both EU countries require the applicant to take out private health insurance.

UK back in funding clover after rejoining flagship Euro science research program Horizon

The UK this week revealed it had secured £500 million in research grants from the EU's Horizon Europe programme — having returned to the program following a three-year pause after Brexit.

Sir John Aston, the pro-vice-chancellor for research at the University of Cambridge, told The Guardian he hoped the embargo "never happens again," telling reporters: "It is really good that we are back inside the tent."

However visa fees aren't the only barrier; academic salaries in the US are also more generous than in the UK. The average salary for university staff is said to be about £40k ($53k) for a lecturer, rising to about £91k ($121k) for a professor, while full professors average about $155k in the US.

Then there is the thought of swapping Malibu beach or Miami for "bracing" Skegness when you head off for a holiday ... sorry, vacation in Blighty.

On the plus side, Americans and Brits speak dialects of English that are almost mutually comprehensible, so there is that.

If US scientists are looking for positions overseas, then there is clearly an opportunity here for the UK's world-leading science sector

"If US scientists are looking for positions overseas, then there is clearly an opportunity here for the UK's world-leading science sector. We can provide a sanctuary where researchers can continue to innovate and produce, standing up for the universal values of science and knowledge, whilst also filling critical skills gaps. It would be a win-win," Onwurah said in a statement.

We asked the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) if it could provide any further information on what was planned to help American scientists make a move to Britain.

A spokesperson sent a statement to The Register:

"The US is one of the UK's closest partners, and we look forward to continuing to work with them, supporting researchers and innovators on both sides of the Atlantic, and beyond.

"The UK continues to welcome top talents in academia into our R&D system through visa routes like the Skilled Worker, Global Talent, and the Innovator Founder visas, on top of other short-term visa routes."

Vallance had previously explained that we do not know what is going to play out in the US, and the government would see how the situation evolves.

"What I will say is that scientists, great scientists, are welcome in the UK. We will welcome people to positions in universities and elsewhere, and our funding schemes will support people," he stated.

The letter from the Committee chair asks for Lord Vallance to respond by May 23.

"I look forward to the Science Minister providing clarity on what the government is doing to show our support to US scientists and attract them to the UK. This could be a great opportunity to bolster our scientific capabilities, and I hope the government acts accordingly," Onwurah said. ®