The Ministry of Education and Science, in order to attract high-level scientists from abroad, as well as promising researchers who have left Lithuania, will allocate over 20 million. EUR of EU investments. This aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Lithuanian science.
Calls for projects coordinated by researchers from abroad are planned to be published in 2018. in the first half.
"This measure would allow not only to bring back promising Lithuanians who have gone to foreign scientific institutions to work, but also to attract high-level foreign scientists to Lithuania. We hope that the currently ongoing restructuring of the science and study system, which includes the consolidation of the network of institutions and the concentration of resources, the reform of financing and quality assurance systems, and the increase of researchers' and teachers' salaries, will create an appropriate environment for the prevention and attraction of brain drain", says the Minister of Education and Science. Jurgita Petrauskienė.
As the Minister of Education and Science emphasizes, the large financial investments allocated to Lithuanian science in the last decade, the country's research and study institutions are equal to high international level research centers with their available scientific research equipment. However, until now there was a lack of financial instruments that would offer internationally competitive working conditions that could motivate top-level scientists to work in Lithuania. Therefore, part of the 2014-2020 Funds from EU investment funds are aimed at attracting foreign Lithuanian and foreign scientists.
in 2018 in the first half, it is planned to publish invitations for scientific research projects, which high-level scientists and researchers working in foreign scientific institutions will be able to come to Lithuania to carry out. When implementing the projects, it is planned that the scientific research groups will be led by high-level foreign scientists, and the scientific research group itself will be able to be composed of both Lithuanian and foreign researchers. The inclusion of young researchers in the projects will be encouraged. The competition will be organized by the Lithuanian Science Council.
It is expected that research projects can last up to 4 years, and the maximum value of one project - up to 1 million. euros. Funds will be allocated not only for scientific research, salaries and business trips of members of the research group, but also for relocating researchers from abroad.
International practice shows that many countries of the world have an urgent need for the policy of brain mobility - brain drain, recovery, attraction. As confirmed JAV, examples of the UK, Canada, Ireland and other countries, the country becomes attractive to scientific minds when the science policy creates conditions not only to bring back the researchers who have left, but also to attract highly qualified foreign scientists, and to keep its promising scientific forces in the country. Such a scientific environment is more open to innovation, researchers who have left such a country are more likely to return.