concept of representing a pandemic of viruses in modern society. Virus distribution, analysis, control and development of a vaccine for treating people
Economic developers from communities that provide incentives to workers in targeted occupations should be aware that other countries are now using the same tactics to target research professionals in science, engineering, and technology. Most talent retention and recruitment programs tend to focus on supporting the needs of private corporate employers, so this leak of talent from universities and public and private research centers may be less noticeable until it becomes a giant sucking sound.
Here are just a few examples:
- Canada announced in December 2025 it would spend C$1.2 billion to recruit scientists, including research grants.
- In September 2026, Canada announced the first round of 64 scientists recruited under the program, including 48 Americans. This included both highly experienced and emerging researchers
- Choose Europe for Science is a 2025-2027 EU program is offering hundred of millions in research grants and has doubled non-European relocation allowances. Individual countries in the EU have followed suit, and you can read a summary of some of the programs here.
- The UK has also bolstered its programs offering grants and assistance to U.S. based scientists
- China has launched a new “K” visa to attract international science and technology graduates
For years there has been ample evidence that the U.S. research sector cannot sustain current and anticipated demand for scientists with domestic talent alone. There is currently a poor job market in the United States for scientists of any nationality due to research funding cuts, so we are at risk of losing both domestic and foreign born talent and, perhaps more critically, losing the edge on the research innovations they will generate.
A report published in August, 2026 by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) provides an excellent summary of the need for the United States to retain scientific research talent. (BTW, this Foundation has bi-partisan honorary co-chairs)
One finding they cite: soon after cuts to federal research funding in 2025, a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) survey reported a 21 percentage point decrease in the share of early-career biomedical scientists of any nationality who said they were likely to remain in the United States. For foreign born scientists the decline was 30 percentage points.
An 2024 report from the National Science Board indicated that foreign-born individuals make up 43% of doctorate-level scientists and engineers in the United States, many of whom eventually receive citizenship by naturalization.
According to the National Science Foundation
- 34% of Doctorate Degrees awarded in 2023 from U.S. institutions went to temporary visa holders (National Science Foundation, published May 2025)
- 86% of those visa holders earned PhDs in Science and Engineering
- There was a 24% decline in Science and Engineering Masters Programs by international students from 2024 to 2025; the steepest drop was from Indian students (NSF)
For more stories of U.S. citizen scientists choosing to take their talent elsewhere, see this article from Scientific American
Policy in Action