The reasons that lead Spanish scientists to pack their bags are varied. The precarious labor supply, the low investment in the sector or the low competitiveness of salaries are some of them, but they all have in common the search for better opportunities. Since the outbreak of the Great Recession in 2008, the loss of young talent has followed a worrying trend. The Network of Associations of Spanish Researchers and Scientists Abroad (Raicex) estimates that there are about 40,000 researchers working abroad. For a qualified professional, leaving Spain is easy. The difficult thing, often, is to return, due to the lack of public or private projects that promote their return. Some, like Pablo Cano, a 32-year-old theoretical physicist, are the exception. After a four-year stay in Belgium, he has managed to return to his native country thanks to one of the 105 scholarships that the La Caixa Foundation has recently awarded to researchers to continue their projects in Spanish and Portuguese entities.
Recovering national research talent is important for science, but it is not always easy. The selected scientists met last Tuesday at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum in Barcelona at the scholarship award ceremony. The profile of the beneficiaries is diverse, with 49 Spaniards and 56 foreigners of up to 21 nationalities; But their demands are similar: they agree that it is essential to retain and attract researchers with more funding and less bureaucratic burden. Although the lack of opportunities is the most common denominator, there are some who leave in search of prestige and academic challenges. They assure that mobility offers a fundamental exchange for the advancement of science and that it is highly valued for future personal and professional development.
Nearly 2.8 million Spaniards live outside Spain, according to the latest update from the INE in January 2023, which points to Argentina and France as the favorite destinations. But for scientists the most attractive countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Because? In these places salaries can triple or even quadruple those of Spain. The salary of a postdoctoral researcher in Belgium, for example, exceeds 92,000 annually, while in Spain it barely reaches 30,000.
The Foundation’s project to retain and return talent is materialized through 65 scholarships from the INPhINIT doctoral program and 40 from the Junior Leader postdoctoral program. Both have been co-financed by the European Commission through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. With a budget of nearly 21 million euros, the aim is to promote research in the Iberian region.
The scholarships have been distributed among more than 60 research centers and universities in Spain and Portugal, covering a wide range of disciplines. Although most of the scholarships have been allocated to Spaniards, they have also benefited 56 foreign researchers. Italy, with 16 scholarship recipients, leads this list, followed by Portugal, with nine, Germany, with six, and the United States, which contributes four professionals. Theoretical physics and mathematics top the list with nine fellows each, followed by environmental sciences, materials science and technology, and biomedical engineering and technology, each with seven fellows.
Aurora M. Ricart, marine ecologist: “On an academic level we are on par with outside scientists”
Ricart focuses his research on helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. She is a marine ecologist and studies the global change of coastal ecosystems and how they can become refuges. To do this, she works with base species of marine macrophytes such as seagrass beds and macroalgae beds. Coming from Valencia, the 37-year-old researcher has returned after a five-year stay in California. She returns to Spain with the Caixa scholarship to continue her research in a postdoctoral degree at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Barcelona.
During his stay in San Francisco he realized two considerable differences between both countries: bureaucracy and financing. The paperwork was much more agile in his host country, while in Spain it has represented a double effort: “Bureaucracy is effective time that could be used in the investigation.” Although he recognizes that American funding in science is notable, he emphasizes that Spanish talent is comparable to foreign talent. “On an academic level we are on par with outside scientists,” he says. With greater investment, he calculates, cumbersome procedures can be reduced and the academic system improved.
Aranzazu Sierra, materials engineer: “This scholarship is my opportunity to continue doing science in Spain”
In Aranzazu Sierra’s specialty, physics, chemistry, geology and history converge. The researcher, born in Oviedo 36 years ago, is excited to think about everything that protects great historical monuments. That is why she has dedicated herself to conservation engineering, focused on the protection of ancient and modern building materials. Her work has taken her to many places, Mexico, Hungary and Germany among them, but now she will be able to continue her research from her native country. “This scholarship is my opportunity to continue doing science in Spain,” explains Sierra, who will carry out a postdoctoral degree in Construction Engineering and Technology at the Cooperative Research Center in Nanosciences of the Basque Country.
For Sierra, having financing “is a dream.” He explains that leaving the country has been something positive, since in the sector academic exchange “opens more doors” for researchers. But she always wanted to return. “The roots are the roots,” she says. From his experience in different places, he is clear that long-term investment is needed in Spain to retain talent, although he highlights another need: “We must inspire the youngest minds” and adds “they are more creative, more restless and it is the “Better time to convey to them that science can contribute a lot to society.”
Pablo A. Cano Molina-Niñirola, theoretical physicist: “In Spain there are not so many opportunities to do postdoctoral studies”
“Our understanding of gravity is Einstein’s theory of relativity and although it is very elegant and successful, it has theoretical problems.” This is how Cano, the youngest of the four researchers at 32 years old, explains his work as a theoretical physicist. He investigates the modifications that there may be in Einstein’s theories and the effects they have, for example, on black holes. In his field, he explains, it is very common to do doctorates in other countries, since it is necessary to make collaborations and a way to gain international experience: “To achieve excellence you have to go abroad.” That is the main reason why he decided to migrate to Belgium for four years, although he also recognizes that, if he had stayed in Spain, “there are not as many opportunities to do a postdoctoral degree.”
Originally from Murcia, he obtained a scholarship in theoretical physics at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences in Barcelona. He is excited to return to Spain and assures that the scholarship allows him to have independence. He was able to notice during his stay abroad that one of the most notable differences with Spain is that universities “collaborate more with each other.”
Ana Requena, medical researcher: “To retain talent we must offer stability”
Ana Requena Méndez, a 45-year-old researcher from Granada, focuses her work on migrants. And she has also had to migrate. Five years ago, along with her husband and three of her children, she moved to Sweden. As a mother and researcher, she values that family conciliation is better in her host country, but she always had the intention of returning, although she recognizes that “it is much more difficult to settle in Spain.” During her time away, she noticed among the Spanish emigrants that some have adapted to their new countries, but it is complicated for those who want to return: “If we want to retain talent in Spain, we must offer stability.”
Requena’s research is focused on generating evidence on how to evaluate the health needs of migrants. She collaborates as a consultant for the European Commission, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the International Organization for Migration. Now that she has obtained the Caixa scholarship, she will lead a research group at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
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