Tag Archives: Brain drain

Brain drain reversal requires counter-intuitive support measures

Reversing the brain drain from Eastern Europe may require a bit of counter-intuitive intervention. Instead of supporting the best brains from Eastern Europe to work in Western Europe, why not do the opposite? In this opinion piece, Gergely Buday, an academic in Eastern Hungary, shares his views on the best use of European funding to build expertise on the regions that need it most in Europe. Read more [...]

Callinicus: the importance of scientists, knowledge, and innovation

The role that scientific advances and technological innovations play on the fate of civilisations is illustrated by numerous examples, including food-related developments (improved species in agriculture and livestock), health (hygiene and the discovery of antibiotics), and lifestyle (popularisation of the internet). However, none of these examples triggers immediate effects on the nation's evolution as those innovations related to military technology. Read more [...]

Innovation: collaboration creed rather than mobility mantra

When it comes to mobility, Central and Eastern European scientists are among the champions. This has often resulted in an entire generational gap in their country’s scientific community. Now, some of the brainiest Eastern European scientists are doing research in the most dynamic research hubs in Western Europe, the US and Asia. And their home countries are left to pick up the pieces. Read more [...]

What does it take for brain drain reversal initiatives to be effective?

After the fall of the iron curtain 25 years ago, many scientists left Eastern Europe. The exodus peaked early in the 1990s. Yet, new emigration flows stemmed from the 2004 EU enlargement to ten countries including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Further emigration arose as Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007. Read more [...]

Maciej Żylicz: Creating an inspiring environment for scientists in Poland

Maciej Żylicz is an outstanding Polish molecular biologist with an international career, currently based at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw. He is also president of the Foundation for Polish Science, which is a non-profit funding agency, which is the largest source of science funding in Poland outside of the state budget. In an exclusive podcast interview to EuroScientist, he shares his views on the future of Polish science policy. Read more [...]

Pablo Echenique-Robba, Eurodeputy, Podemos

Pablo Echenique-Robba stared his political career back in January 2014. Until then, his day job was to work as a physicist for the public research agency CSIC, working, among others of the issue of proteins folding. He is involved in a citizen democracy movement, called Podemos. Echenique shares his view on science in Spain and in Europe in an exclusive interview to EuroScientist. Read more [...]