Academics of Greek origin from Australia appear to be – under certain conditions – among the most willing of the Diaspora to work in Greece, according to a survey conducted by the Deon Policy Institute*.

In general, there is interest from Greek academics living abroad to be part of the ‘Brain Regain’ in the country, but significant changes are required, the Institute stated.

More specifically, 59% of respondents said they would consider working in Greece in the next five years, meaning that at least 200 academics are considering moving.

But they are clear about what is needed: better salaries, more funding for research and tangible improvements in the management of university institutions.

Younger academics are the key: lecturers (80%) and post-doctoral researchers (66%) are the most willing to return, especially if offered full-time professorships (52%) with fair pay.

Interest is higher from Canada (72%) and Australia (67%), with academics of Greek origin from these countries showing “greater enthusiasm”.

Importantly, however, as noted, “many of them have never lived or studied in Greece … suggesting that cultural and family ties still play an important role in decision-making”.

Salary and research funding conditions are also not negligible issues.

According to the Deon Policy Institute, while some of all those who responded would accept current salary levels in Greece (32% would accept 2,250 euros per month, around $3,700 Australia), a significant proportion (36%) expect at least 7,500 euros per month ($12,350 Australia), especially those from the US, Canada and Australia.

Those who do not seem particularly keen to repatriate – at least for the time being – are those who reside in Switzerland, the Netherlands or Sweden, but also those who have done a Master’s degree in Greece, those who find research funds insufficient or are in the fields of Computer Science and Engineering.

As for the incentives to return were the study found that family and personal reasons (25%) was the most popular, then social life and culture (14%), followed by a desire to contribute to Greece (21%)

Negative factors were included, low salaries (77%), bureaucracy and university governance (71%), low research funding (65%), and lack of meritocracy (69%).

The most positive aspects of the current state of Greek Higher Education Institutes were the level of students (61% positive evaluation) and the level of professors (53% positive evaluation).

On the negative side were salaries (77% negative evaluation), research funding (65% negative evaluation) and bureaucracy/meritocracy (69% and 71% negative evaluation).

The Brain Drain

“For years, Greece has watched its brilliant academic ‘minds’ leave to build successful careers abroad, leaving a void in its universities and research institutions,” stated the Institute.

“Between 2010 and 2016 alone, more than 427,000 people left Greece, many of them with a high level of education.”

“With the country recovering from the economic crisis and pushing ahead with important reforms (such as Law 5094 of 2024, which allows non-state universities for the first time), there is a real opportunity to bring back some talent.”

“But the big question remains: Do Greek academics want to come back? And if so, what will it take to convince them?”

“To answer this question, the Deon Policy Institute has conducted the largest ever survey of Greek academics employed by universities abroad.”

The Return

The Institute stressed that Greek Diaspora academics “possess valuable expertise that could promote innovation, enhance research output and enhance the reputation of Greek higher education”.

“Their return is also an opportunity to strengthen ties between Greek and global institutions, promoting cooperation and positioning Greece as a leader in the region.”

“To make this vision a reality, emphasis must be placed on removing barriers such as low pay and bureaucracy, while creating opportunities for young academics to build a career that will flourish in Greece.”

As such, the Deon Policy Institute has put forward 5 recommendations:

-Reducing bureaucracy (in recruitment and administration)

-Reducing nepotism and political influence

-Increase state investment in universities

-Improving work culture/conditions

-Improving campus safety and security

The Survey Data

The Institute addressed academics of Greek origin working in higher education institutions outside Greece.

In order to conduct the survey, a sample frame of 3,879 academics from 84 universities from 15 countries was created.

They were informed about this by email and in the timeframe set for data collection.

The final sample included 494 responses from academics of Greek origin from 106 universities in 19 countries.

The level of participation, reported the Institute, was much higher than the industry average of 5-7% for this type of survey (around 200 to 250 responses).

The 494 responses largely matched the original frame in terms of gender, department and university rank, but showed slight variations in terms of academic standing and country distribution.

Although the final sample was quite large the results may not be “generalizable to the whole” given some of the limitations of this research, the Institute pointed out, concluding that “therefore, the survey is a first attempt to document the characteristics of Greek Diaspora academics and their interest in moving to Greece to work in academia.”

In terms of survey participants, 23% were aged 26-35, 28% aged 36-45, 22% aged 46-55, 16% aged 56-65 and 7% aged 66-75.

77% were married or in a serious relationship and 44% had no children.

According to the Deon Policy Institute survey, which was overseen by the Institute’s executive director, Aphrodite Xydi, along with Korina Anagnostopoulou, a Deon Policy Institute fellow and policy consultant in Massachusetts:

In terms of their connection to Greece, 84% said they were Greek citizens, but a non-negligible percentage (16%) who were mostly in Canada and Australia said they were of Greek descent but not citizenship.

Still, the majority of Greek Diaspora academics who participated in the survey currently live in English-speaking countries (69%), as 30% are in the United States, 26% in the United Kingdom, 8% in Australia and 5% in Canada.

A significant proportion live in European countries other than the UK, with the highest concentration in Sweden (7%), and Germany (7%), followed by Switzerland 4.6%) and the Netherlands 4.2%).

Those surveyed are overwhelmingly employed in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).

Specifically in Life Sciences (Life Sciences), Medicine was a 10%, the largest proportion, followed by Biology and Other Life Sciences (7%) and Health Sciences (5%).

It was also found that many Greek scientists work at top universities, with 31% of respondents being at institutions ranked between 1st and 25th internationally, according to the QS University Rank 2024.

*Founded by founded by a group of Greek academics, entrepreneurs and young professionals, the Deon Policy Institute states on its website that its mission is to “organize and transform the Hellenic diaspora into a catalyst for the progress and prosperity of Greece.”