A valuable source of research and academic personnel for Greece could be the community of Greek academics working at foreign universities.

As revealed by a survey conducted by the “Deon” Policy Institute, a significant percentage of Greek academics work at the most powerful universities in the world, and 59% of them would be interested in returning to Greece.

Out of the 494 academics who responded to the survey, 31% work at universities ranked between 1 and 25 worldwide, according to the QS University Rankings for 2024 (QS University Rank 2024).

Universities such as Imperial College London, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, New York University, Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), Lund University (Sweden), University of Birmingham, University of Cambridge, Technical University of Munich, University of Oxford, and the University of Sydney have Greeks in their ranks.

What is the opinion of these scientists regarding Greek universities, and would any of them consider returning to Greece?

This question was posed to Greek scientists by Afroditi Xydi, Executive Director of Deon, in collaboration with policy consultant Korina Anagnostopoulou.

Greek universities: Low salaries and bureaucracy

Most Greek academics abroad perceive the situation at Greek universities as “poor to very poor.”

The most negative aspect is the salaries, as 77% of respondents rate them negatively.

Additionally, 65% rate the availability of research funding negatively.

At the same time, “there is a set of non-financial factors regarding institutional processes and the management of universities that are negatively assessed by all respondents. These factors include university bureaucracy (71%), meritocracy (69%), diversity and inclusion (53%), professional advancement and legal legitimacy policies (49%), and opportunities for commercial exploitation of research (46%),” the report states.

In contrast, the academic level of students and professors is rated positively (61% and 53%, respectively), while the reputation and prestige of universities are not rated either positively or negatively.

How much money would it take for them to return?

According to the survey results, 59% of respondents stated that they would consider working in Greece within the next five years.

“Although these results cannot be generalized, it is a significant finding given the size of the sample (494 responses), which means that there are at least 200 academics who would consider relocating to Greece within the next five years,” the report notes.

In order to return to Greece, 36% of academics would want a salary of 7,500 euros or higher (these scientists mainly live in the US, Canada, or Australia).

32% stated that their salary expectations are 4,000 euros per month (before taxes).

32% of respondents stated that they would be willing to accept a salary of 2,250 euros per month or even less.

It is noteworthy that academics who studied in Greece are less likely—compared to the average—to return.

Academics in Canada (72%) and Australia (67%) showed the most interest in returning to Greece, despite having less connection to life or studies in Greece.

For family and social life

Greek academics in the diaspora who would consider relocating to Greece cite family and personal reasons, social life, and culture, as well as the opportunity to contribute to the country.

Those who stated that they would not return explained their stance due to low salaries, complex bureaucracy, poor governance, and the work culture.

Regarding the type of universities they would prefer, internationally recognized universities are the first choice for most – these universities are particularly favored by those living in the United States and Canada.

Public universities ranked second (58%), with those from Scandinavia and continental Europe preferring them.

Respondents also expressed interest in all types of non-public universities (45%) or existing non-profit universities like Deree (43%).

“Overall, the pattern of responses in this section shows that there is interest in non-public universities among the Greeks in the diaspora,” the report notes.