{"id":674056,"date":"2026-01-04T21:18:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T21:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/674056\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T21:18:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T21:18:17","slug":"the-silent-exodus-of-uib-scientists-euro-weekly-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/674056\/","title":{"rendered":"the silent exodus of UIB scientists \u00ab Euro Weekly News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n UIB microbiologists now working abroad have returned for their annual reunion with home. Credit: Gunnar Klack \/ Creative Commons <\/p>\n

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 \u2018corridor of excellence\u2019 linking the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) to Sweden is firmly established in the field of Microbiology.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A flagship appointment far from home<\/p>\n

One of the clearest examples of this scientific diaspora is Daniel Ja\u00e9n Luchoro, a doctor in Microbiology whose career reflects both the academic strength of the UIB and Spain\u2019s difficulty in offering elite scientists a future at home. Since January 1, Ja\u00e9n took up his post as director of the Culture Collection University of Gothenburg (CCUG), a global reference centre linked to Sahlgrenska University Hospital.<\/p>\n

Most Read on Euro Weekly News<\/p>\n

Managing one of the world\u2019s most important culture collections is an extraordinary milestone. Yet it is also deeply symbolic: this achievement will be celebrated not in Palma<\/a>, but in Gothenburg, reinforcing the sense of loss felt within the Balearic scientific community.<\/p>\n

Pride and frustration in equal measure<\/p>\n

According to Antoni Benn\u00e0sar, Dean of Medicine at the UIB and a key mentor to many of these researchers, Ja\u00e9n is only \u201cthe tip of the iceberg\u201d. Benn\u00e0sar openly acknowledges the mixture of pride and frustration he feels when seeing former students succeed abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something I\u2019ve been denouncing for some time \u2013 our people are leaving,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s good news because they are highly valued wherever they go, but it also exposes a serious weakness in Spain: the inability to retain excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reunions that underline a reality<\/p>\n

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, Benn\u00e0sar\u2019s former PhD students shared experiences of life and research in the north.<\/p>\n

Among them is Xisco Salv\u00e1 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.<\/p>\n

Two systems, two very different realities<\/p>\n

The attraction of Sweden goes far beyond prestige. \u201cIn Spain, you may get funding for equipment, but not for the technician to operate it,\u201d Benn\u00e0sar explains. \u201cIn Sweden, they arrive and everything is already in place. Their job is to think, plan and generate projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Talent that rarely comes back<\/p>\n

Benn\u00e0sar recalls cases of scientists who returned to Spain only to leave again after a few years. \u201cThey found themselves practically unemployed,\u201d he says. \u201cWe invest heavily in training, but we lack the capacity to retain that investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the criticism, the dean\u2019s pride remains evident. Seeing Daniel Ja\u00e9n lead a world reference centre is, for him, the ultimate confirmation of success. The paradox is that Balearic science continues to shine \u2013 but increasingly under a foreign flag.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UIB microbiologists now working abroad have returned for their annual reunion with home. Credit: Gunnar Klack \/ Creative…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674057,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5312],"tags":[2000,299,104],"class_list":{"0":"post-674056","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-spain"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115838917166126240","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}