In brief
Canada’s government has announced a $504 million programme that will bring 64 professors from around the world – 75% of whom come from U.S. institutions such as Harvard – to Canadian universities. The move is driven by uncertainty about US research funding and a growing perception that Canadian universities offer a more welcoming environment for scholars. Climate‑resilience researcher Seth Guikema and biopharmaceutical scholar Peter Caravan are among the dozen U.S. academics who relocated; they will use Canadian grants to further climate and disease‑detection work. Industry Minister Melanie Joly welcomed the influx as a boost to Canada’s research profile, while U.S. officials warned that federal cuts could drive more talent overseas. Amid escalating trade friction, Canada positions itself as a strong contender on the global research stage.
Canada is actively poaching more than 60 senior academics from U.S. universities, including Harvard, under a new federal programme.
The initiative will fund 64 professors in fields such as climate science, medicine and technology, with a budget of C$504 million (US$362 million).
More than 75 per cent of the incoming scholars will have come from U.S. campuses. The drive follows criticisms by the Trump administration of left‑wing bias and campus antisemitism, coupled with a freeze of federal research grants that many say have been wasteful.
The uncertainty created by that policy has turned many researchers toward international opportunities.
Canada’s Industry Minister, Melanie Joly, said the government was "very glad" to welcome the new faculty, while also noting that the U.S. bailout decisions are out of Canada’s control.
One climate‑resilience researcher, Seth Guikema from the University of Michigan, will be leasing C$8 million to develop tools that help communities guard against storms and wildfires at the University of Western Ontario. He cited the US funding climate‑related research as a growing challenge.
Other scholars, such as former Harvard medical faculty Peter Caravan, are moving to the University of British Columbia to pursue cancer and chronic‑disease detection research.
Academics from universities across the U.S. – including the University of Southern California and Harvard – have noted the cuts to major grant agencies as driving them to Canada.
U.S. universities remain top ranked worldwide, yet the loss of talent could impact their long‑term prospects.
