Atlantic Crossing
A quiet exodus is gathering pace in America. From elite research universities to fast-growing startups, a growing number of scientists, technologists and academics are reassessing their future in a country that once defined itself as the global home of progress.
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The second Trump administration has picked up where the first left off. Immigration policy is tightening. Research funding is under new pressure. Vaccine scepticism and climate denialism are embedded in the political mainstream. And elite universities, long symbols of American soft power, are being recast as ideological enemies.
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This briefing maps what that shift could mean for Britain. It tracks the emerging talent race across science, tech and green innovation, and shows how France, Germany and the wider EU are moving fast to capitalise. Until last week, the UK was standing still. Now, with Keir Starmer’s speech at London Tech Week, that may be changing.
His £1 billion package for AI compute, fast-track scholarships and skills reform to “make Britain an AI-maker, not just an AI-taker.” is a clear statement of intent: Britain wants to be in the race. The question now is whether we can turn symbolism into strategy, and build a credible offer to the world’s best researchers, as a new Atlantic crossing quietly begins.
Where the UK stands - and what still needs to happen
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The Prime Minister’s Tech Week speech was a breakthrough. But how do we now measure up in the global talent race? Here’s how the UK compares to the US, wider EU, and Franco-German efforts across the three arenas of tech, green and science:
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This isn’t just a brain drain from the US it’s a once-in-a-generation realignment of global scientific and technical energy. Europe is moving fast to seize it. Britain has the edge, world-class universities, a science-friendly culture, and now, at last, a government that wants to lead. But unless we make it easier for the right people to come, we will miss the moment.
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This is not about throwing open the doors. It’s about being strategic, targeting the researchers, technologists and entrepreneurs who will build the next industries. In a political climate calling for lower migration overall, that argument has to be made carefully. But it must be made. Looking the other way is no longer an option.