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Local Norway
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Norway
How Oslo wants to attract US talent fleeing Trump
Recent moves by the Trump administration have sparked alarm among US higher education leaders. Over 500 university presidents signed a statement by the American Association of Colleges and Universities condemning "unprecedented government overreach" into academic affairs. Budget slashes, ideological pressure, and uncertainty are driving researchers abroad, and Nordic countries are responding quickly. READ MORE: Nordics hope to attract US researchers alienated by Trump Norway's international researcher recruitment efforts The Norwegian government has made it clear that it wants to attract top international researchers to Norway. In late April, the country's Research Council announced a new scheme to make recruiting experienced researchers from other countries easier. "We are now giving our leading research environments the opportunity to connect with established researchers from abroad. It is important for Norway to be proactive in a demanding situation for academic freedom," Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland said at the time. "We can make a difference for outstanding researchers and important knowledge, and we want to do that as quickly as possible." Aasland's remarks reflect wider Nordic efforts to position themselves as havens of academic freedom. "Academic freedom is under pressure in the US, and it is an unpredictable position for many researchers in what has been the world's leading knowledge nation for many decades," she said. "We have had close dialogue with the Norwegian knowledge communities and my Nordic colleagues about developments. "It has been important for me to find good measures that we can put in place quickly, and therefore I have tasked the Research Council with prioritising schemes that we can implement within a short time," she added. The program will be open to researchers from all over the world, and is not limited to American researchers or researchers at American universities. It will initially be worth 100 million kroner in 2026. "The call for proposals will come in May, and will initially be linked to the Research Council's centre schemes, including for excellent research and innovation in climate, health, energy and artificial intelligence," head of the Research Council, Mari Sundli Tveit, said. Advertisement Oslo's targeted pitch to global talent At the city level, Oslo is also acting with intent. "Talent attraction and retention is core to the work we do at Oslo Business Region," Siw Andersen, CEO of Oslo Business Region , the official business development agency of Oslo Municipality, told The Local Norway. With political shifts abroad creating instability, Oslo is leveraging the moment to attract top professionals. Andresen said that under its "Onboarding Oslo" initiative, the city introduces international workers and their families to Norwegian life through cultural events, networking, and practical support. "Over 250 participants attended events under the project," she noted, adding that "thirty spouses and partners of talent gained professional networks, with 61% securing employment" through their "Spouse Program." This inclusive approach extends to marketing. The " Work in Oslo " campaign – targeted at professionals in cities like London, Paris, and Berlin – reached over 1.1 million potential candidates. Another campaign is scheduled for later this year. READ ALSO: The international school options for parents in Oslo Advertisement Why Oslo thinks it's the right fit for US talent Oslo's pitch is based not just on academic freedom but on values. "Oslo offers purpose-driven careers, global collaboration, and a lifestyle rooted in balance and nature," Andersen said. The city's openness is central to this message: "One in three inhabitants in Oslo has an immigrant background… English is widely used in the workplace, especially in research and tech," she added. "With a vibrant startup scene, generous parental leave, and strong support for families – including spouse career programs and cultural onboarding – Oslo helps international talent thrive. It is also a young city, with 88.000 students." Oslo's appeal lies in its alignment with what many disillusioned US professionals are now seeking: stability, freedom, and a sense of mission. "Professionals seeking meaning, mobility, and quality of life will find Oslo a compelling choice," Andersen said. Advertisement High stakes for research The exodus of US researchers has implications far beyond American borders. Karin Forsberg Nilsson, dean of the faculty of medicine at Uppsala University in Sweden, warned of ripple effects. "If our partners at laboratories and hospitals in the United States cannot conduct their research in the usual way… this will of course also affect the research we conduct here," she told the AFP. That's why Nordic universities like Uppsala are already actively advertising jobs to US researchers, particularly younger talent who may find the region's family support systems and work-life balance especially appealing. At the same time, cities like Oslo are seizing a rare opportunity to recruit top minds. "We rely on international expertise to develop, scale, and export the solutions the world urgently needs. As global competition intensifies, attracting skilled professionals is essential for Oslo's future success. Oslo's entire R&D-based innovation ecosystem stands to gain. International professionals help drive sustainable solutions, strengthen competitiveness, and support growth in startups and scaleups," Andersen told The Local. The Oslo Business Region recently published an overview of career opportunties for internationals at universities and research institutions, which can be found here .
Local Spain
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Inside Spain: Algae football kits and why the police are far-right
Inside Spain For Members In this week's Inside Spain, we look at why Vox would be in power if only the Spanish police and military could vote, and how a Spanish football team is raising awareness about an invasive algae polluting Andalusia's sea with an innovative kit. According to Spain's Research Council (CIS), almost half of Spain's police and military forces vote for far-right groups. Their data shows that 33 percent of them support Vox, while 14 percent vote for the fringe radical party of Alvise Pérez, 'The Party is Over' (Se Acabó La Fiesta). In fact, more police officers and soldiers vote for Santiago Abascal's Vox party than for the long-established centre-right Popular Party (30 percent). So if only the Spanish military and police voted in the country's general election there would most likely be a far-right government in power, especially if they aligned with the PP, as they'd have 77 percent of the total votes. So would the remaining 13 percent of the vote share go to Sánchez's Socialists? No, as 7 percent of Spanish police and military officers opt for the blank or null vote option, and only 6 percent vote for the PSOE. And how about the hard-left junior coalition party Sumar? They only get a measly 1 percent of votes from policías and militares. "In political sociology we are not used to seeing gaps of this size," Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte, professor of Political Science at the University of Southampton, told news site Info Libre about his findings showing that Spanish soldiers were five times more likely to vote for Vox than civilians. So why are the police and armed forces in a country which is generally quite left-leaning so overly right-wing? Their patriotic beliefs have certainly played a role, with Vox's criticism of the Catalan independence push and Sánchez's amnesty for its main perpetrators striking a chord with the police and armed forces. Even though Spain's national police head Francisco Pardo called Vox's claim that immigration caused crime 'a huge lie', it seems clear that those on the ground don't think the same. For Turnbull-Dugarte, the comradery that occurs in the Spanish army barracks and police academis pushes soldiers and police officers to the right. The traditional military culture, work duties linked to authoritarianism, the emphasis on masculinity, the patriotic vision of the State, the rejection of minorities considered unpatriotic, the sacredness of national unity - all these views align far more with Vox's rhetoric than with the progressive talk of Spain's PM. Let's just hope Santiago Abascal doesn't choose to stage a coup d'état, because it seems likely he'd have thousands of police officers and soldiers on his side. The jersey is made with recycled plastic from the ocean as well as a textile fabric created from the brown algae. Named Rugulopteryx okamurae, the algae has spread rapidly in the Mediterranean impacting biodiversity, fishing and tourism, as well as proving expensive to remove. Betis, who presented the shirt in the town of Tarifa on Thursday, a town particularly affected by the issue, will wear it on February 16th against Real Sociedad in La Liga. "The presence of invasive algae on our coasts is destroying our ecosystem," wrote Betis in a post on social media. "To confront them, the first kit made with fibres created from these algae was born." Marine biologist Candela Sánchez Atienzar told news agency AFP the algae, native to the North Pacific, most likely arrived in Spanish waters in 2015 "through the ballast waters of merchant ships". "When it arrived it started to spread out of control, there's no invasion in the history of science described on this scale," she said. Rafael Muela Pastor, the director of Betis' social foundation, said it was a good opportunity to raise awareness of the problem. "News was reaching us that the invasive Asian algae was causing many problems in all sectors in the area," he said. "We wanted to take advantage of this situation in some way to draw attention to the importance of caring for our oceans and seas."
