Europe has been fighting for years to keep pace in science and innovation with the USA and China. Political developments in the United States are a shock for many universities and researchers, but also offer a unique opportunity to bring top researchers to Europe over the next four years. In particular, research areas that contradict President Donald Trump’s government – from climate research to the analysis of disinformation – are threatened by considerable cuts in funding. In order for Europe to benefit from this development, it must reform its research funding system and offer top research attractive framework conditions. Such a project, which is supported by three pillars, could make an essential contribution to closing the existing gap to the USA and China in science and innovation.
