Research and Development (R&D) is a major profit center for the top universities in the United States. Besides the nearly $100 billion they earn in grants from the US government and private sources, university-based researchers create patents and inventions that generate many more billions annually.
China is the largest foreign source of scientists and researchers for US universities, and they are concentrated in the hard sciences and in engineering, where over 95% of R&D spending takes place.
But since 2018, Chinese scientists are increasingly deciding to return to China to set up new research departments. Of those who are still in the US, over 60% admit they are strongly considering moving, and over half now refuse to work on projects that involve funding by US government sources.
To American universities, the loss of these scientists, along with future contributions to scientific research and commercial applications and market value, are incalculable. But losses probably already exceed a trillion dollars, given the departures of so many top scientists in Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, medicine, biochemistry, materials science, nanotechnology, and quantum computing.
Source: Inside China Business, Sep 30, 2024. https://youtu.be/gKQXnzNxb4g
Resources and links: More Chinese Students Are Staying in China to Study https://erudera.com/news/more-chinese… Surge in Chinese Scientists Leaving US for Home Institutions https://erudera.com/news/surge-in-chi… Caught in the crossfire: Fears of Chinese–American scientists https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas…