Dozens of American scientists have contacted the Nias research institute for shelter
In recent weeks, “more than twenty” American scientists have contacted the Nias, an Amsterdam research institute that provides shelter to international researchers as part of the Safe Haven Fellowship. The University of Amsterdam recently funds two places.
The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Amsterdam has been busy fielding requests for information in recent weeks. Since the Trump administration has been putting pressure on science, more than twenty American researchers have already approached the research institute, of which the University of Amsterdam has recently become a partner.
The scientists who have come forward are mainly from the fields of climate, humanities and social sciences, and in particular gender and women’s studies. “We have not yet received any official applications,” says Rachida Azough, head of public affairs at NIAS. “Researchers are mainly asking whether they are eligible for a fellowship within the Safe Haven programme.”
The Safe Haven Fellowship programme offers five-month research positions for researchers from conflict and war zones. The programme was established in 2022, initially to provide shelter for Ukrainian researchers who had fled their country and dissident Russian and Belarusian researchers. In March 2024, the programme was expanded to include threatened researchers worldwide. Since February 2025, researchers under pressure can apply throughout the year.
American researchers have also been eligible since the programme was expanded. Azough: “The question is whether you can show that your academic freedom is being severely restricted. If you are conducting research in gender studies and your entire field is being phased out, or your vocabulary is being restricted, then it is clear that your research is being severely curtailed.”
The Nias scientific advisory committee assesses the applications based on the researchers’ research proposals. “The applications that are the most interesting, the most poignant and of the highest quality are ultimately accepted,” says Azough.
Since February, the University of Amsterdam also funds two places in the Safe Haven programme. “We are now offering six places and hope to increase this number in the coming years, but it will not exceed eight to ten fellows a year. We want to maintain a good balance among the 50 to 60 researchers from around the world who participate in the Nias research every year.”
