Engineering news
Macron, who won the French presidential election in a landslide on Sunday, promised to secure funding for science and research during the campaign, particularly in the areas of clean energy and climate change.
In February, the 39-year-old invited American climate scientists to France in a campaign speech in Lyon, and in a video on his Twitter channel, which has resurfaced since Sunday’s second round election victory. “This is a message for American researchers, entrepreneurs, engineers working on climate change,” said Macron in his Twitter video in February.
Global warming researchers in the US face severe funding cuts because of President Donald Trump’s sceptical attitude towards climate change. It has been reported that the Environmental Protection Agency is facing a 40 per cent cut in its research budget.
“Please come to France,” said Macron. “You are welcome, it's your nation, we like innovation. We want innovative people, we want people working on climate change, energy, renewables and new technologies. France is your nation.”
Macron welcomed American scientists in a video message on Twitter
With Brexit threatening scientific funding and collaboration in the United Kingdom, Britain is facing a fight for its position as a leading country for science and technology, and needs to stand up for science like Macron, according to science and engineering union Prospect.
“The UK is a global hub for innovation and research. Despite the challenges of Brexit and political attacks on evidence-led policy in America, the UK needs to stand up for science and defend our position as a leading player in global research," Sue Ferns, the organisation’s deputy general secretary, told Professional Engineering. "This means keeping the UK open for collaboration post-2020 and clarifying the status of researchers whether they are EU nationals in the UK or British researchers working elsewhere in the world.”
The freedom to move and collaborate internationally is essential for good research and innovation, according to a survey of 1,286 leading UK-based researchers released last week by the UK’s four national academies. The report found that 87 per cent of those surveyed had collaborated with others in Europe, and 95 per cent had travelled there. In 2014/15 there were 31,635 EU nationals working in UK universities, 16 per cent of the total.
A separate report by the Royal Society found that 72 per cent of UK-based researchers had trained or worked abroad. “Excellent research, in the humanities and social sciences, as well as in medicine and engineering, depends on the ability to collaborate, develop understanding and learn from the best, wherever they may be based,” said Lord Nicholas Stern, President of the British Academy.
“UK universities are world-leaders in research, and because of this we attract outstanding international talent. Maintaining this global outlook is crucial to upholding our high-quality research base."