Four‑way science workforce triage

When a national research ecosystem is abruptly defunded, scientists and projects follow one of a small set of durable paths: (1) fight to restore domestic funding and capacity, (2) relocate into international or allied systems, (3) migrate into industry/contract research, or (4) pivot to interdisciplinary or decentralized, low‑capital science platforms. Policy should plan for all four outcomes rather than assuming a single restoration strategy will suffice. — Treating the post‑cut scientific landscape as a four‑path triage reframes workforce and industrial policy so governments can design targeted supports (reinstatement funds, mobility visas, industry R&D incentives, and distributed lab networks) for each realistic outcome.