More than 100,000 Greeks academics and skilled workers, most of them young, are abroad, either working or in search of a job, due to Greece’s enduring financial crisis, according to a report in Kathimerini (link in Greek) newspaper.

A further 30,000 Greeks are studying overseas and are intent on staying there after they complete their studies, while even established academics and researchers are seeking their fortunes outside Greece and are in search of European research grants.

Only recently, a director of a research institute migrated to Singapore while others take unpaid leave to work abroad because of better pay.

“Universities and the wider Greek research community can’t get new blood, and can’t even keep their own experienced staff,” Evi Sahini, the director of the national documentation centre (EKT) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, told the Kathimerini.

“The consequences of this problem will become acute for the country if we consider the development role played by universities and technical institutes,” she said.

“The economic and qualitative data show that Greek higher education is on the brink of a major crisis.”

More specifically, Kathimerini cites research conducted by Lois Lambrianidis of the department of economic sciences of the University of Macedonia, which reveals that more than 100,000 academically-skilled Greeks (doctors, engineers, economists. lawyers etc) under the age of 40, are currently abroad. United Nations figures state that the number of skilled labour Greeks of all ages that are residing overseas stands at almost 150,000, the paper said.  

This migration trend has intensified over the last five years due to the country’s financial crisis and the high unemployment rate which is over 50% for people below the age of 25, 40% for people between 25-29 and 25.5% between 30 and 44.

According to research by the University of Macedonia, young people in search of a better future abroad are the ones with the highest academic skills.
73% have postgraduate degrees, 51.2% have Phds while 41% have completed their studies at respected universities. Roughly 30,000 Greeks are studying abroad      

These statistics have raised concerns over the fate of Greek higher education – which is not being being replenished with new blood as young academics opt for a future at universities or research centres outside Greece – and it is faced with stagnation in relation to developments outside Greece.

According to the European Research Council (ERC), whose main goal is to encourage high quality research in Europe through competitive funding, .41 Greek scientists, 27 of which are young and reside outside Greece,  are partaking in various programmes funded by the council.

The criteria to become a recipient of these funds are very high, says Sahini, and to be selected as a recipient is like winning a small Nobel prize.

“The ERC evaluates ideas and it is basically in search of the new brains in Europe. So we can understand that the facts show the qualitative dimension of the problem, “ she told the Kathimerini.

University staff is not replenished. According to the federation of university academics (POSDEP) by the year 2016, 1100 out of the 9149 academics at Greek universities will have left as the funds to hire new academics have been drastically reduced from €18 million in 2011 to €5 million in 2013. While for the year 2014-2015, there are funds enough to cover the hiring of 100.

Funding from the state budget to higher education for research  is in  a downward spiral (from €321 million in 2012 to € 253,7 million in 2013) and the main source of of money are European funds through the National Strategic Reference Framework-NSRF (from €49.8 million in 2012 to €114.1 million in 2013).

“Up until now, in the first two years after the beginning of each new NSRF period we had small fund absorption rates. So the objective now is for the quick absorption of the new NSRF funds”, Sahini told the paper  

Sahini said: “Greek universities are in a dire situation. Human resources are leaving, while the acute problems are made worse by the lack of strategic planning. This poses a fundamental question. Do we want a higher education system that supports modern development models?