An inquiry into the return mobility of scientific researchers in Europe

[EN] Against the current of scientific researchers moving to universities and research institutes outside their home countries, there is also an observable flow of researchers who relocate back to their home countries following a foreign stay. The aim of this report is to take stock of conceptual and measurement issues related to this phenomenon, referred to as the ¿return mobility¿ of researchers. In the context of European policies striving to promote excellent research while realizing it by efficient spending, there are fears that researcher mobility towards centers of excellence (seen as ¿brain drain¿ in ¿net exporter¿ countries) further widens the gap between regions of Europe. This fear is behind a growing concern for fostering the return mobility of talented researchers to ensure a more equal distribution of research capacity.The authors would like to thank the valuable feedback and suggestion of colleagues from the JRC s unit I1 Modelling, Indicators and Impact Evaluation, especially, to Sara Flisi, well as Richard Deiss and Diana Ognyanova (DG RTD). The preparation of the study benefitted from funding through the INNOVA_Measure 2 (H2020 690804) project.Cañibano, C.; Vértesy, D.; Vezzulli, A. (2017). An inquiry into the return mobility of scientific researchers in Europe. EUR. Scientific and technical research series. 1-66. https://doi.org/10.2760/54633S16

International researcher mobility and knowledge transfer in the social sciences and humanities

This article explores knowledge outcomes of international researcher mobility in the social sciences and humanities. Looking in particular at international experiences of longer durations in the careers of European PhD graduates, it proposes a threefold analytical typology for understanding the links between the modes, durations, and outcomes of this mobility in terms of the exchange of codified knowledge; the sharing of more tacit knowledge practices; and the development of a cosmopolitan identity. The findings suggest that, under the right conditions, there can be an important and transformative value to longer stays, which can lead to enduring outcomes in terms of knowledge production and innovation and the spatially distributed networks that sustain it

Cross-Border Mobility of Self-Initiated and Organizational Expatriates

Globalization in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries has been marked by an increase in cross-border mobility of the highly skilled. Though self-initiated expatriation is a widespread phenomenon, it has received relatively little attention in the academic literature. Furthermore, large-scale studies that track self-initiated and organizational expatriates together, over time and across geographies, are noticeably absent from the literature. Consequently, our understanding of these two forms of mobility is relatively limited. This study, which is the first large-scale analysis of the trends in and patterns of the mobility of organization-initiated expatriates and self-initiated expatriates, attempts to fill this gap by analyzing the mobility patterns of 55,915 highly skilled individuals who made 76,660 cross-border moves between 1990 and 2006. Specifically, we analyze patterns of geographic mobility and then examine the rate, duration, and direction of self-initiated and organizational expatriation over time. Finally, we consider demographic differences in mobility between the two groups

Assessing micro-level effects of macro-level interventions: a comparison between perceived evaluation pressure and scientific productivity in History

In this paper we assess the perceptions of five members from two very prestigious Spanish university departments in History regarding the effects of the research evaluation system upon their publication strategies and practices. We contrast their individual statements and perceptions with their actual publication productivity. We thus contrast individual perceptions regarding the effects of macro-intenventions with the actual micro-level observable affect. In this exploratory analysis focused on five highly productive Historians we do not find clear correspondance between individual perceptions and statements and actual individual productivity

Assessing micro-level effects of macro-level interventions: a comparison between perceived evaluation pressure and scientific productivity in History

In this paper we assess the perceptions of five members from two very prestigious Spanish university departments in History regarding the effects of the research evaluation system upon their publication strategies and practices. We contrast their individual statements and perceptions with their actual publication productivity. We thus contrast individual perceptions regarding the effects of macro-intenventions with the actual micro-level observable affect. In this exploratory analysis focused on five highly productive Historians we do not find clear correspondance between individual perceptions and statements and actual individual productivity

Internationalisation as transformation: trans-national mobility and research careers in the human and social sciences

This paper addresses the meaning and implications of international experience at the individual level by focusing on the transformative effects of international mobility. We conceive the international mobility of researchers as a potentially transformative process subject to strong uncertainty. In addition, we understand individual research careers as ‘self-discovery’ processes, over which researchers progressively builds their identity. We conduct an empirical analysis drawing upon research undertaken in the course of a European Project across 13 countries, throughout which a total of 358 interviews were conducted addressing the factors shaping the careers of doctorate holders in the social sciences and humanities. We consider how trans-national mobility stimulates and shapes processes of transformation and self-discovery within three differentiated contexts of change: i) cognitive changes; ii) changes in the professional-organisational context; and iii) changes in the socio-cultural environment