Collaboration, across disciplinary and geographical boundaries, is the foundation of the scientific endeavor. Local research excellence needs open societies, high mobility, and international talent recruitment. Countries, universities, and research centers are once again engaged in a war for talent over researchers, entrepreneurs and students as the world emerges in fits and starts from a pandemic-induced slowdown in international migration. Driven by the need to be on the cutting edge of new technologies like AI or genomics, in an age of new geopolitical rivalries, a host of countries have in the past months unveiled new academic recruitment drives, visa schemes and open-door policies to poach the brightest minds. Yet, red tape, cumbersome administrative barriers and outdated immigration policies remain as a critical bottleneck in the movement of STEM talent across borders. But what are the main obstacles to research mobility? Why should immigration and talent attraction be central to national strategies for retaining technological leadership? How is the geopolitical confrontation between the US and China, which sharpened during the pandemic, spurring the contest for STEM talent recruitment? Can we move towards a global talent visa?
• Jeremy L. Neufeld – Senior Immigration Fellow at Institute for Progress
• Claudia Finotelli – Associate Professor of Applied Sociology at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid
• Rana El Bizri – Postdoctoral Research-Marie Cure fellow at Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL)
• Tesseltje de Lange. Director of the Centre for Migration Law at Radboud University
• Martí Jiménez Mausbach – Head of Research at The Ostrom Institute
