Austria has lured what it calls 25 "top researchers" away from US institutions, including Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Princeton, with grants set up in response to the Trump administration's funding cuts targeting universities.
Recipients of the grants, each valued at 500,000 euros ($587,000) over two years, range from postdoctoral researchers to professors and work in fields such as physics, chemistry, and the life sciences, the Austrian Academy of Sciences stated on Thursday.
"Thank Trump for this brain gain," the academy's president, Heinz Fassmann, said.
"We have succeeded in bringing these outstanding individuals from the United States to Austria. They bring with them new ideas, new perspectives, and international networks. That is a big win for Austrian science," he added, without naming them.
Trump administration cracks down on US universities
US President Donald Trump has cracked down on universities over a range of issues like pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel's assault on Gaza, transgender policies, climate initiatives, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
The White House has said even with the cuts, the US would still account for the most global research funding.
Austria is among the countries that have responded by seeking to lure away academics currently working at universities in the United States. In March, 13 European countries, including France, Germany, and Spain, urged the EU Commission to move fast to attract academic talent.
While Austria is better known for the intellectuals it produced in the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud or quantum physicist Erwin Schrodinger, it currently has four universities in the global Shanghai ranking's top 300.
Recipients of the grants will start work this year at Austrian universities or research institutions.
"At a time when political interference and authoritarian tendencies are encroaching on research and teaching, we are taking a strong stand against them," Austria's minister for science and research, Eva-Maria Holzleitner of the Social Democrats, said.