UIB microbiologists now working abroad have returned for their annual reunion with home. Credit: Gunnar Klack / Creative Commons
The steady outflow of Balearic scientific talent towards northern Europe shows no sign of slowing. What recently appeared as an isolated case involving mathematicians and IT specialists has now been confirmed as a broader, structural trend. The same ‘corridor of excellence’ linking the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) to Sweden is firmly established in the field of Microbiology.
As Spain continues to export its brightest minds due to a lack of sustained investment and professional stability, top-tier Swedish institutions are benefiting from Balearic training. The result is a persistent brain drain that leaves the islands increasingly deprived of their most promising researchers.
A flagship appointment far from home
One of the clearest examples of this scientific diaspora is Daniel Jaén Luchoro, a doctor in Microbiology whose career reflects both the academic strength of the UIB and Spain’s difficulty in offering elite scientists a future at home. Since January 1, Jaén took up his post as director of the Culture Collection University of Gothenburg (CCUG), a global reference centre linked to Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
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Managing one of the world’s most important culture collections is an extraordinary milestone. Yet it is also deeply symbolic: this achievement will be celebrated not in Palma, but in Gothenburg, reinforcing the sense of loss felt within the Balearic scientific community.
Pride and frustration in equal measure
According to Antoni Bennàsar, Dean of Medicine at the UIB and a key mentor to many of these researchers, Jaén is only “the tip of the iceberg”. Bennàsar openly acknowledges the mixture of pride and frustration he feels when seeing former students succeed abroad.
“This is something I’ve been denouncing for some time – our people are leaving,” he explains. “It’s good news because they are highly valued wherever they go, but it also exposes a serious weakness in Spain: the inability to retain excellence.”
Reunions that underline a reality
That reality has been visible in recent days around restaurant tables across the islands. Much like the IT specialists featured in earlier reports, UIB microbiologists now working abroad have returned for their annual reunion with home. Over traditional food and winter sunshine, Bennàsar’s former PhD students shared experiences of life and research in the north.
Among them is Xisco Salvá Serra, who completed his doctorate in 2023 and quickly joined the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE). His expertise in bioinformatics and genomics, developed at the UIB campus on the Valldemossa road, is now a valuable asset within the Swedish research system.
Two systems, two very different realities
The attraction of Sweden goes far beyond prestige. “In Spain, you may get funding for equipment, but not for the technician to operate it,” Bennàsar explains. “In Sweden, they arrive and everything is already in place. Their job is to think, plan and generate projects.”
This structural difference makes returning increasingly unlikely. Although some researchers consider Spanish reintegration schemes, uncertainty prevails. Short-term contracts and unstable career paths discourage many from taking the risk.
Talent that rarely comes back
Bennàsar recalls cases of scientists who returned to Spain only to leave again after a few years. “They found themselves practically unemployed,” he says. “We invest heavily in training, but we lack the capacity to retain that investment.”
Despite the criticism, the dean’s pride remains evident. Seeing Daniel Jaén lead a world reference centre is, for him, the ultimate confirmation of success. The paradox is that Balearic science continues to shine – but increasingly under a foreign flag.