No Nobel institution officials warn: Trump's policies threaten the United States' position as a global scientific leader

Senior officials from the Swedish Nobel Prize granting institution told AFP that President Donald Trump's measures against scientific research may threaten the United States' status as the world's leading scientific power and affect global scientific development and the talent landscape. At the same time, "China is booming and is investing huge amounts of money."

AFP reports that since January this year, Trump has cut millions of dollars in research funding, restricted university academic freedom, and laid off many scientists from federal agencies.

At the Nobel science award ceremony starting next Monday in Stockholm, American researchers may still maintain their leadership: due to long-term investment in basic research and academic freedom, the United States has more science prize winners than any other country.

But this situation may change. Hans Egelkrantz, Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Economics, told AFP: "After World War II, the United States replaced Germany as the leading scientific nation. Now, due to the reduction in research funding, this position is under threat."

According to the independent database Grant Watch, since January, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which oversees medical research in the United States, has cut 2,100 research grants totaling approximately $9.5 billion and terminated contracts worth $2.6 billion. The affected programs include research on gender, the impact of global warming on health, Alzheimer's, and cancer.

Egelkrantz warned that although Trump's policies mainly affect American research, international cooperation is also impacted because the National Institutes of Health also funds collaborative projects in other countries.

Pulman, the secretary of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, also believes that Trump should protect America's academic heritage and hopes that Trump will not easily hand over America's position as a leader in scientific research to China and other countries that want to replace it.

Egelkrantz and Pulman pointed out that Trump's policies could lead to a loss of talent and have a chain reaction on research in other countries. They believe that even if budgets are restored, researchers and scientists who have lost jobs or funding may not be able to return to their positions, and young people may decide not to pursue scientific careers.

Although the current US government's policies mainly affect domestic research, international cooperation has already been affected.

Pulman emphasized: "Any nationalist or chauvinistic academic regulation will hinder the exchange of global ideas and data. Research is essentially global. Researchers have always been exchanging their knowledge and experiences."

The withdrawal of the United States provides opportunities for other countries to make significant progress. Hans Egelkrantz believes: "Research is an important foundation for innovation and entrepreneurship. Other countries can more easily compete with them."

He pointed out: "China is booming and is investing huge amounts of money."

If Hans Egelkrantz could directly speak to the President of the United States, he would tell him that maintaining research funding is in the interest of the United States, because "one of the reasons your country has been so successful is that researchers are able to explore new knowledge and benefit from abundant resources." "After the war, the United States invested heavily in research at both the private and federal government levels. This is why your country has prospered."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844912658151424/

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