Stanching the EU 'brain drain'

NEW YORK—To attract researchers to Europe and keep talented scientists from leaving the continent, EU policy developers Thursday (December 11) outlined near- and long-term initiatives that enhance career development and ease of working anywhere in Europe.

In January 2004, the European Commission (EC) plans to propose a scientific visa for the European Union. Within the next year and a half, if all goes well, “then Europe will be open to non-European researchers,” Sieglinde Gruber, policy developer for the EC's research directorate-general, told The Scientist. Such a visa for scientists, already found in the United Kingdom, France, and Ireland, would enable researchers to move within the European Union—say, for conferences—instead of having to obtain visas for each country.

Also, by March 2004, 350 to 400 “mobility centers” will open all throughout Europe, dedicated to helping both European and foreign researchers and their families move to and around Europe. “Mobility is difficult—your ...