Letter from the Editor

In the previous edition’s editorial I made reference to the transatlantic dialogue between Science & Technology Policy players in Austria and Austrian Scientists in the U.S. and Canada. This dialogue is part of a much broader discussion between the EU and European Scientists & Scholars in North America. The desire for such a dialogue is fairly recent and is driven by motives very similar to those that have led to Austrian initiatives aimed at turning the “brain drain” into a “brain gain”. The prevailing motive is that the declared goal of turning the European Research Area into one of the world’s most competitive regions for science & technology requires a much stronger influx of researchers into Europe than is now the case.

A vision of Europe as a stronghold of excellent research is what drives the considerable and serious efforts of the European Union to get in touch with European scientists in the U.S. and to open doors for those that are interested in doing R&D in Europe. The recent EU conference in Washington DC on scientists’ mobility, about which you will find a brief report in this edition of inform@ion, is a fine example of that effort.

The road to a European Research Area that can hold its own in competing with the U.S. for the world’s most talented researchers is tenuous, though, because the coordination of the national agendas in regards to attracting foreign and expatriate researchers faces considerable barriers.
The most significant barrier is an assumption that is not uncommon for large government bureaucracies: that the problem is well-known and understood; that what needs to be done to address the problem is clear; and that there is usually only this way of solving the problem. This is a potentially dangerous and costly way of viewing the world.

When it comes to the reasons that make people choose one place over another to do research, we know very little about the complex interplay of the myriad motivations and constraints. There are some sweeping generalizations, however, that can safely be made, such as that Europe is for some reason just not as attractive to scientists as the U.S. That is evidenced not so much by the high numbers of Europeans in the U.S. but by the appallingly small number of American scientists or other non-European scientists that choose to pursue a scientific career in Europe.

The conclusion that I draw from this is that we ought to do two things in Europe: to continue on the ambitious road towards the European Research Area by harnessing the strengths embodied by the superb scientists across Europe, and to listen at the same time to those who don’t do research in Europe anymore or don’t do it there yet, but one day might very well decide otherwise.

In order to listen, we have to know who they are. Developing networks of European scientists in the U.S. and in Canada is a way to find out who they are. It is not the solution to Europe’s lackluster R&D performance, but a means to gain a complete understanding of the problem and potential solutions. Two years ago, Austria could not have done a lot of listening, because the “official Austria” was in touch with only a handful of “expatriate scientists” in the U.S. In the meantime, we know of about six hundred such “expatriates”. And if they are willing to talk to us, we are willing to listen to them.

P. Steger

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Language Policy Of "inform@ion"
Our decision to provide large parts of "inform@ion" in the English language is in response to numerous requests we have received over the time. Many Austrian – or formerly Austrian – researchers working and living in North America have sometimes found it difficult to follow an all-German newsletter, despite their genuine interest in Austria's R&D policy developments. Hence, providing this newsletter in English aims at encouraging Austria's scientists and scholars in North America to spread the news in their respective professional surroundings. We believe this will facilitate an intercultural and transatlantic dialogue on science and technology. Therefore, we have decided to translate all parts of this publication into English that report on general developments and the status of Austrian R&D, science and technology policies. This decision encompasses the feature articles, as well as general news and information on research, science & technology policies in Austria contained in the Homebase. Additionally, we will leave calls, proposals and announcements in their original language, either English or German. We would be happy to receive any feedback from you!