Resignation deals blow to brain gain
The recent resignation of the scientific director of the Biomedical Research Foundation (BRFAA) of the Academy of Athens has cast a shadow over Greece’s stated objective to plug the brain drain that has scarred the country and pave the way for a much-needed brain gain.
“I returned to our homeland to offer my knowledge and experience. Unfortunately, I saw that there was no interest in reorganizing the foundation,” said Nikos Kyrpides, a leading, internationally recognized biologist and researcher, explaining the reasons for his resignation to Kathimerini.
Kyrpides, who led one of the largest research programs for microbial genomics and metagenomics worldwide at the Joint Genome Institute of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, applied for the post of scientific director of BRFAA in 2020 in what was hailed as a success of the much touted brain gain initiative. However he resigned a few days ago, nine months after his appointment (in July 2023).
“Three years ago, when I submitted my application, the image of BRFAA was very different from today. It had not yet been evaluated by an international scientific committee, which ranked it among the lowest among the country’s research institutions and highlighted its operational and administrative problems,” he said from the US, noting that his proposals for necessary radical organizational and management changes were met with suspicion and outright hostility.
Indicative of the attitudes he encountered was his first meeting with the board of directors to present his arguments on March 14, five months after the announcement of his election in the relevant gazette.
“I was sad to find that instead of the warm welcome of a scientist who wanted to reverse the extremely unfavorable situation of the institution, I was met with intense suspicion and, several times, an aggressive mood. The masks fell, with the sole exception of Dr Dimitris Nanopoulos,” he said, noting that the treatment devalued his scientific prestige and international contribution to science.
