Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
34 top researchers, mainly from US, are moving to Netherlands via the Tulp Fonds.
The Dutch Tulp Fonds, launched in 2025 with 50 million euros (25 million from OCW, 25 million from NWO), funds top researchers outside the EU/EER/Switzerland to move to the Netherlands. 34 researchers have been awarded grants so far; 29 come from or work in the US, including from Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Yale, and the National Cancer Institute. They will work on vaccine research, nuclear energy, cancer, mental health, Alzheimer's, artificial organs, climate, food, astrophysics, and democracy. Each institution receives up to 1 million euros per researcher over 5 years. More grants are expected in 2027.
The fund addresses declining academic freedom abroad and aims to strengthen Dutch and European competitiveness. NWO chair Marcel Levi says it provides a safer workplace for scientists under pressure while boosting the country's innovation. The fund is named after the tulip, originally from abroad but now a Dutch national symbol.
What commenters are saying
Commenters mostly agree the US is losing research talent, but disagree on where it will go. Europe is seen as the primary beneficiary, but several argued China benefits too, especially Chinese-ethnic researchers in US STEM. One commenter listed Europe's structural problems: active war in Ukraine, energy dependence, an aging population, and Chinese competition in automotive. Another countered that Europe retains strong industrial and research heavyweights like Siemens, Novartis, and Airbus, and has historically recovered from devastation. The thread split sharply on whether China offers a viable alternative: some noted its citizenship is extremely hard to get, its language barrier steep, and its immigration levels tiny (1.5 million vs. 48 million in the US).