THE ISSUE OF emigration is highly topical, with the prospect of many Irish graduates leaving the country. Yet, for PhD students and researchers, leaving is often an integral part of becoming a professional and gaining experience.
International mobility is generally considered a necessary part of scientific career development. Of course, there is a fundamental difference as this is voluntary migration and not forced through economic circumstances. The nature of science is that it is truly international with the same approach used whether the work is done in Cork or Caracas.
This is not a new phenomenon as throughout history scholars have moved country to work with others and learn from experts. What we forget now is that for many centuries Latin and Greek were common languages across Europe, Africa and Asia. This meant that scientists and scholars could move country relatively easily and communicate. Indeed, going to meet others was a real necessity as there was no other means of communication. In an age of easy e-mail, social networking and video conferencing much can be achieved without the need to travel. However, this cannot replace the professional and cultural experience of working in leading research groups in another country.
Nowadays, despite resistance, English has taken that position as the international language of science. A number of years ago the Chinese changed their policy, and they now encourage their researchers to publish in English. While English does dominate, moving to France or Germany, for example, does really require the knowledge of the language. The leading scientists do speak English but this is not true for the technical and general staff. Anyone who has worked in a lab knows well that a good relationship with technical staff is essential to get equipment and support. The reality is that working in a new environment has much more than purely scientific benefits.
People move to gain experience in the internationally recognised centres of excellence in their area. Studies have show that this type of mobility has clear positive benefits as it increases scientific productivity and quality. It also improves job prospects, as experience abroad has often become a prerequisite for academic posts. Paradoxically, the increase in research investment in Ireland has meant that many researchers do not leave and can, in the long term, become less competitive for jobs.
European policy in this area has evolved to promote a form of single labour market for researchers. Integral to this is the need for open and transparent recruitment procedures that do not favour local incumbents. The Irish system is already a very open system with positions being filled on the basis of qualifications.
This is in contrast to a number of European countries where nationals are always favoured, regardless of quality. Currently about 35 per cent of PhD students and 38 per cent of researchers on contract in the seven Irish universities are foreign, figures that are evenly split between EU and non-EU nationals. The three countries that dominate the latter category are China, India and the US. Recent data from the Irish universities study have shown that it is the quality of institutions and research that is attracting students and researchers here.
From an individual’s perspective, there remain many obstacles to movement. In 2001 an expert group appointed by the European Commission concluded that access to information was a major barrier to mobility, as well as issues on pensions, visas and work permits.
This spurred on efforts to open Europe to researchers globally and resulted in a new fast track immigration scheme. Ireland was an early adopter of this scheme and it has certainly made it much easier to bring in researchers from across the world. Despite a number of initiatives the issue of pension transferability is a long way from resolution.
The situation has improved dramatically for researchers with regard to practical information and support, with the establishment of a Europe-wide network of dedicated offices – the Euraxess network. Despite these positive initiatives, Europe is still far from the US Federal system that makes mobility very easy, but we are moving in the right direction.
Of course, right across the world, countries are engaged in the same game. We are all competing to bring in the best and retain our own students and researchers.
The Irish science (IRCSET) and humanities (IRCHSS) research councils have used EU Marie Curie funding to create radical new fellowship schemes. This enables researchers to go abroad to gain experience for up to two years. Crucially, there is a third year of funding where they return to Ireland to bring back the knowledge they have gained.
International mobility is now a cornerstone of EU policy and is at the centre of the European Research Area, the single market for research and innovation. The creation of the European Higher Education Area through the Bologna Process has reached the point where we are now seen by the US as a major competitor for international students.
The success of the European Research Area will be measured when it is recognised by the US as a challenge to their research system.
Conor OCarroll is research director in the Irish Universities Association; iua.ie