Has the great exodus of intellectuals reached the US?

Anyone born in Italy in the 1990s has likely heard of the term “brain drain”. This term refers to the emigration of highly specialized talents and professionals, trained in one country, to foreign nations offering more attractive opportunities. Italy has been grappling with a major brain drain for years, but things worsened in 2024. According to the latest data from ISTAT, in 2024, as many as 156,000 Italian citizens left the country to move abroad, marking a 36.5% increase compared to 2023 — the highest figure in the last 25 years. The migration balance (i.e., the difference between the number of immigrants — in this case, returnees — and the number of emigrants) for 2024 was extremely low: only 53,000 returned home, leaving a gap in skills that results in a huge waste of human capital. Those leaving are mostly recent graduates, researchers, and professionals with PhDs. The main destinations are Germany (12.8%), Spain (12.1%), and the United Kingdom (11.9%), countries that offer not only higher salaries. However, the problem of brain drain is not only about the future but also the present: Italy, for instance, invests in student education and spends billions of euros (according to Forbes, Italy has lost €134 billion in human capital over the last 13 years) yet fails to create the conditions to keep them working at home. This way, the damage is significant because the brain drain ends up enriching a country that did not invest in that talent.

As mentioned, the phenomenon is not new: throughout the 20th century, there was a major exodus of intellectuals to the United States, the United Kingdom, and West Germany. Figures like Rita Levi Montalcini and Carlo Rubbia personally experienced the appeal of American and Anglo-Saxon universities. In recent years, however, the Italian government has launched several initiatives to reverse the trend: “Return of Brains” programs, tax incentives, scholarships, and PNRR funds dedicated to innovation. Nevertheless, these tools are often fragmented and insufficient compared to the conditions offered abroad. But at the beginning of 2025, a potential global shift began, as the number of intellectuals fleeing the United States is steadily rising. Since the inauguration of the 47th president, Donald Trump, there have been numerous cuts to research funding, staff reductions at academic centers, and increasing restrictions on researchers' freedoms.

These conditions have pushed over 1,900 American researchers, professors, and scientists to sign an open letter to raise an SOS about the risk of “decimating the national scientific enterprise” and to denounce censorship on sensitive topics such as climate change, vaccines, and ethical studies. The situation in the United States is so delicate that many scientists and scholars are considering emigrating in order to continue their work without political interference. A survey published in Nature reveals that 75% of the American scientists interviewed are seriously considering relocating to Europe — marking what could be the largest brain drain reversal since the 1930s. In response to this wave, on April 10, physicist Roberto Battiston and philosopher of science Silvano Tagliagambe published the ReBrain Europe manifesto, calling on European institutions to open their laboratories, streamline bureaucratic processes, and create specific visas and work permits for high-level researchers coming from the United States. In this uncertain scenario, Italy and Europe have a historic opportunity: to turn a crisis into a chance for revival, both for the country and for global science. By focusing on excellent infrastructure, clearly defined merit-based processes, and transparent career paths, we can not only retain our own talent but also attract the best minds fleeing the U.S.