News has not been good lately for research universities in the United States.

The Trump Administration has proposed slashing the National Institutes of Health Budget by about half – eliminating tens of billions of dollars for the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world.

The White House had earlier announced a 15 percent cap on indirect costs for NIH grants. That money goes towards facility maintenance at research institutions and university presidents say the move will greatly hinder their ability to do “critical” research. 

And the agency said it would freeze or cancel grants related to vaccine hesitancy, transgender health, and Covid. 

The White House has also targeted funding for HHS and the National Science Foundation, and it’s revoked more than a thousand student visas at schools around the country.

As researchers at American universities face an uncertain future, other countries are doing their best to lure scientists away. 

Is the U.S, set to face a brain drain as top talent moves overseas or into other fields?

Guests:

Carl Bergstrom, Professor of Biology at the University of Washington

Neel Patel, Opinion Editor at the New York Times

Relevant Links:

New York Times: America’s Brightest Minds Will Walk Away

The Week: America's academic brain drain has begun

WA State Standard: Trump’s research cuts threaten to set off a wave of university brain drain

 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

 

News has not been good lately for research universities in the United States.
The Trump Administration has proposed&nbsp;slashing the National Institutes of Health Budget by about half &ndash; eliminating tens of billions of dollars for the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world.
The White House had earlier announced a 15 percent cap on indirect costs for NIH grants. That money goes towards facility maintenance at research institutions and university presidents say the move will greatly hinder their ability to do &ldquo;critical&rdquo; research.&nbsp;
And the agency said it would freeze or cancel grants related to vaccine hesitancy, transgender health, and Covid.&nbsp;
The White House has also targeted funding for HHS and the National Science Foundation, and it&rsquo;s revoked more than a thousand student visas at schools around the country.
As researchers at American universities face an uncertain future, other countries are doing their best to lure scientists away.&nbsp;
Is the U.S, set to face a brain drain as top talent moves overseas or into other fields?
Guests:
<a href="https://ctbergstrom.com/index.html">Carl Bergstrom</a>, Professor of Biology at the University of Washington
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/neel-v--patel">Neel Patel</a>, Opinion Editor at the New York Times
Relevant Links:
New York Times:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/opinion/young-american-scientists.html">America&rsquo;s Brightest Minds Will Walk Away</a>
The Week: <a href="https://theweek.com/education/united-states-trump-higher-education-losing-educators">America's academic brain drain has begun</a>
WA State Standard: <a href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/04/04/trumps-research-cuts-threaten-to-set-off-a-wave-of-university-brain-drain/">Trump&rsquo;s research cuts threaten to set off a wave of university brain drain</a>
&nbsp;
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.
&nbsp;

Soundside

As researchers at American universities face an uncertain future, other countries are doing their best to lure scientists away. Is the U-S set to face a brain drain as top talent moves overseas or into other fields?

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