Polish Foundation Aims To Lure Academics Back To Poland

For the first time a Polish foundation has awarded a prize to young academics returning to Poland in a "brain-drain" reversal, the Rzeczpospolita newspaper reported Tuesday.

The "Return" prize is intended for young scholars and researchers who started their career abroad and then returned home.

The Foundation for Polish Science wants to lure young, aspiring scholars back to Poland.

"We don't deny that the young people want to emigrate. But we want them to enrich Polish scholarship with their foreign experience," said the foundation's director, Jakub Wojnarowski.

As an incentive, academics receive an annual subsidy of about 50,000 zlotys (12,890 euros) for two years.

Many young Poles leave their home country after graduation, hoping for higher wages and better living conditions abroad.

The exact number of young academics leaving Poland each year is not known.

It is estimated, however, that about 2 million Poles have left their home country since Poland joined the EU in 2004.
Source: playfuls.com