Voigt fights for science: Thuringia as a refuge for researchers!

Voigt fights for science: Thuringia as a refuge for researchers!

Thuringia's Prime Minister Mario Voigt has announced that it wants to make the way to Thuringia easier. This step takes place in the context of the ongoing university dispute between the Trump government and US universities, which causes numerous scientists to look for alternatives abroad. Voigt plans the creation of a platform to bring international students to Thuringia in order to also counteract the loss of talents in the USA. According to stern.de , many international students are currently looking at whether the USA is the right place for their academic career.

The situation in the USA is tense by the Trump government. This has decided that foreign students who have already registered must switch to other universities in order to keep their residence status. A prominent example is Harvard's lawsuit against this regulation. In addition, scientific freedom in the United States is increasingly restricted, which is also known as "war against science". Scientists report on financial cuts, censorship and disabled research under the Trump government, as reported.

excellent science landscape in Thuringia

Voigt, who recently spent a week in the United States with Minister of Economic Affairs Colette Boos-John and representatives from science and business, draws a positive conclusion from this trip. This was the first official trip abroad by Voigt as Thuringian head of government. He reports on a noticeable interest of investors in Thuringia and positions the state as an excellent science landscape that strives for talent promotion and innovation.

The trade volume between Thuringia and the USA is around 2.8 billion euros, and the USA is the most important foreign trade partner. This represents the economic relevance and interests of the region in an international context.

effects on science

The Trump government has not only influenced the scientific community in the USA through its policy, but also on global research structures. With the loss of scientific freedom in the USA and shifts in university policy, a location advantage for European countries such as Germany could arise. Germany ranks fourth in the global ranking of the "Highly Cited Scientists", which further improves the perspective for specialists from the USA.