The incentive for investigators in Eastern Europe to apply for Horizon 2020 funding from the European Union is undermined by the grant model defining how researchers should be paid (go.nature.com/2hqxgxi). It requires that research stipends conform to national basic salaries, which are much lower in Eastern than in Western Europe. This weakens the motivation of researchers in the eastern EU to put in the extra effort required to catch up and gain international standing.

Compared with Western European centres, systems for grant writing, funding management and research publication in Eastern Europe are less developed. After years of underfunding, the scientific community there lacks the necessary competitive edge. For researchers who trained abroad, the cushion of having research and living expenses provided by their principal investigators is no longer available when they return home (Nature 538, 444; 2016).

As young investigators who trained as postdocs in the United States, we are finding it increasingly hard to close the research and salary gap with Western European universities because of the funding challenges in Romania. It is essential for the EU to instigate special funding arrangements for Eastern European countries in the current calls if progress is to be made.