The grants bear a name that's an obvious joke on Trump's "make America great again" jingoism, and Macron hasn't been shy about saying that they're a direct response to the Paris pullout. "The U.S. did sign the Paris Agreement," he told CBS. "It's extremely aggressive to decide on [your] own just to leave."

Research from the first group of winning researchers will focus on clouds, hurricanes and pollution. France and German will jointly launch a new competition next year and fund around 50 projects to the tune of about €60 million (around $70 million).

Originally limited to US scientists, the competition was opened up to non-French researchers around the world, to the dismay of some French scientists. Macron has also been criticized by researchers who say the money could be better used for France's state-funded higher education system.

Despite that, the recipients were elated. France's grants "gave me such a psychological boost, to have that kind of support, to have the head of state saying I value what you do," US winner Camille Parmesan told the AP. She'll work in the Pyrenees mountains, studying how human-caused climate change influences wild animals.

Macron said that the Trump's move at first caused consternation, but ended up energizing the movement. "It's a deep wakeup call for the private sectors and some of us to say, 'Wow, so we have to react,' " he said. "If we decide not to move and not change our way to produce, to invest, to behave, we will be responsible for billions of victims."