Cuts to US federal funding for academic research are already impacting the university spinout and startup community.
Since Trump took office last year, US universities and federal agencies have faced billions of dollars in funding reductions, affecting institutions such as Stanford, which produces up to 1,500 funded founders annually.
The figures for 2025 have now been laid bare: over 10,000 workers with PhDs in science, technology and engineering have left the federal workforce.
Europe and the UK will be more than happy to take advantage of Trump’s treatment of academics, and it could be how both the UK and Europe put themselves on a par with the US initially, then move ahead of the US in tech.
This trend is already in motion. Dealroom data show that between 2011 and 2013, US companies dominated the European tech scene, accounting for 12% of acquisitions by volume and 35% of total value....
