Study on mobility flows of researchers in the context of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions: analysis and recommendations towards a more balanced brain circulation across the European Research Area: Final Report

The study on mobility flows of researchers in the context of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) was launched by the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission. In line with the Commission’s policy priorities, the study provides a detailed analysis of the structure and determinants of researchers’ mobility flows under the MSCA and recommendations toward a more balanced brain circulation across the European Research Area. The analysis of mobility trends reveals that inflows of MSCA researchers are concentrated in a handful of EU and Horizon 2020 associated countries, with 12 regions across Europe attracting 30% of all MSCA fellows. It also shows that MSCA mobility patterns resemble the general patterns in international scientific mobility, which suggests that the MSCA do not exacerbate the problem of imbalanced research mobility in Europe but merely reflect pre-existing trends. Moreover, the MSCA help to effectively retain European talents, attract foreign researchers to Europe and encourage European researchers to return to Europe. The study also assesses the impact of the Widening Fellowships pilot, which facilitated more balanced brain circulation and contributed to fostering interest in and attracting researchers to widening countries. Finally, the study investigates the possibility of establishing return grants. Since the MSCA already enable return mobility, particularly for experienced researchers and towards widening countries, the study does not recommend reintroducing return grants for researchers and provides instead a set of policy recommendations to enhance the quality and attractiveness of the less advanced Research and Innovation systems.