US researchers to Sweden – dream or reality?

This was the question posed during yesterday’s panel discussion organised by the Stockholm Academic Forum at the Stockholm School of Economics. Lars Strannegård, President of the Stockholm School of Economics, began the evening by emphasising that what is happening in the US right now is an attack on science and free academia, and that when it happens to some of the most prominent academic institutions in the world, it means a change in the academic landscape. Lars Trägårdh, who has lived and worked in the US for much of his life, agreed and added that he believes that researchers and research funding, particularly in STEM subjects, have great potential to be distributed from the US to other parts of the world, including Sweden.

The panel agreed that it is unlikely that we will see a large stream of senior researchers leaving the US and American universities for Sweden. They suggested that there are several reasons for this, with the academic system, which is completely different in the two countries, probably being the main reason. The main advantages of moving to and living in Sweden, they said, are more about life issues such as work-life balance, social security and conditions for family life, etc. The groups we could attract here from the US to a greater extent in the future are primarily students and researchers at the beginning of their careers, both PhD students and post-docs.

The panellists were Brinton Seashore-Ludlow, Karolinska Institutet, Andrea Voyer, Stockholm University, Cheryl Akner-Koler, Konstfack and Christian Christensen, Stockholm University.