Greece's ambitious plan to lure scientists back reportedly sabotaged by government inaction

An ambitious Greek initiative designed to lure top scientists back to the country has reportedly stalled, leaving academics feeling abandoned and undermining efforts to reverse a significant brain drain. The program, intended to attract researchers after the trauma of the financial crisis, has been plagued by delays and a lack of official communication.

Professors involved in the "Brain Regain" initiative, funded by the EU, expressed deep disappointment. They waited for extended periods only to learn the program might not proceed, with no official notification from the government. Aristides Hacis from the University of Athens told Politico that the lack of progress represents a major setback, especially after research was prioritized during the financial crisis.

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All these stories about 'brain gain' are not a joke, it's a huge step backward.

Greece experienced a massive outflow of half a million people during its financial crisis, which began in 2008, shrinking its economy by a quarter and pushing unemployment to 28%. While overall migration trends have shown a slight improvement since 2021, with more people returning than leaving in 2023, the specific issue of scientists and highly qualified professionals returning remains a critical challenge.

The "Trust Your Stars" research funding program, valued at 80 million euros and supported by EU recovery funds, has become a focal point of discontent. After a lengthy evaluation process, many of the 1,241 applicants whose projects were not selected raised concerns about the fairness of the evaluation. Further complicating matters, the program is reportedly losing its EU funding because it cannot be implemented within the framework of the Resilience and Recovery Fund, leaving its future uncertain.

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During the financial crisis, money was invested in only one area - research, because the EU gave it priority. Now there is nothing, it is at the very bottom of priorities.