The voice of an organized diaspora

We read the tribune with attention, sympathy and affection An invisible diaspora, where Antonio Muñoz Molina masterfully illustrates the daily and emotional reality of so many of us, professionals who, after having received a large part of our training in Spain, have moved abroad for work reasons. We subscribe that the flight of talent is a tragedy for the country that has formed us and that often generates in expatriates a bitter feeling of alienation both in our host country and in the country of origin. However, international mobility also represents invaluable personal and professional enrichment, since it favors adaptation to new work environments, collaboration with professionals from diverse cultural contexts and the integration of other ways of thinking. The problem emerges when emigration is forced by the lack of opportunities in the country of origin and the delicate balance between the entry and exit of talent is broken, as happened dramatically after the Great Recession of 2008 and continues in the present.

As a consequence of this, more than a decade ago associations of Spanish scientists and researchers began to be established in different countries. In 2018, these associations were grouped into RAICEX, the Network of Associations of Spanish Researchers and Scientists Abroad, which currently includes 22 associations with more than 4,500 members spread across 35 countries. RAICEX, in addition to offering Spanish researchers abroad professional and personal support in the host countries, also channels the knowledge that its members have acquired working on the science, technology and innovation systems of these countries. And he does it to strengthen the Spanish system and encourage the attraction of talent to Spain, with the ultimate desire to contribute to the progress of the country that formed us.

At RAICEX we have always claimed that public and private initiatives in the field of science and technology should not focus on return, but on the retention and attraction of talent. To achieve this, a structural change in the Spanish system is essential that eliminates administrative obstacles, promotes the stability of public-private investments, and reduces salary differences with respect to other countries. Only in this way, by offering long-term stability, resources and professional dignity, will Spain be able to consolidate itself as a competitive and internationally attractive country both for research professionals abroad, regardless of their nationality, (talent attraction), and for those established in Spain who do not want or cannot leave (talent retention).

It is also important to promote positive action measures that mitigate the structural asymmetry that places foreign talent at a disadvantage for their incorporation into the Spanish science and technology system. For example, facilitating the recognition of university degrees and academic merits obtained abroad, supporting the effective regulation of dual affiliations with foreign institutions and promoting a system that favors the international mobility of talent.

Without a doubt, the fact of having a diaspora, not invisible, but very active and organized, is essential, not only for its contribution to society, but also for weaving a support network and creating a human environment that allows us to share, perhaps around some lentils or soupy rice (like Muñoz Molina), our experiences, concerns, and claims about the future of Spanish science.

Francisco VilaplanaProfessor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (Sweden) and Former President of RAICEX and the Association of Spanish Scientists in Sweden (ACES).

Igor ArrietaPostdoctoral Researcher at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) and Co-Director of Scientific Policy at the Society of Spanish Scientists in the United Kingdom (CERU)

Álvaro de la Cruz-DombrizResearcher Beatriz Galindo University of Salamanca and Deputy Secretary General of RAICEX.

Irene Echeverria AltunaPredoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) and President of the Society of Spanish Scientists in the United Kingdom (CERU)

Javier Pardo DiazSenior Program Manager at UK Research and Innovation (United Kingdom), Scientific Policy Member of RAICEX and Vice President of the Society of Spanish Scientists in the United Kingdom (CERU)

The text has been reviewed by the Scientific Policy and Talent Attraction commission of RAICEX

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