How to engage the Diaspora in Science and Technology

Scientists and researchers are needed everywhere to innovate and create new things that can help solve the world’s growing problems. In most developing countries, several top intellectuals tend to migrate to developed countries, seeking better professional opportunities.

With the massive migration of the educated people from their home country to other countries (brain drain), diaspora engagement in science, technology, and research is needed more than ever. Unfortunately, it is not easy for the professionals living in the diaspora to network with their home country and with their country of residence to offer their professional skills to address scientific and technological problems. Sometimes, the diaspora members are less paid in their country of residence, whereas their home country does not know how to tap into the potential of their educated expatriates?

Diaspora engagement in science and technology should not be only about granting work visas to the best international scientists so that they stay abroad after their graduation. Diaspora implication in science and engineering should not be only about asking the diaspora to return to their country of ancestry! Engaging the international diaspora in the development of their countries should be more than the partisan political debates regarding the migration of the intellectuals from developing countries to America or Europe.

To sustainably involve the world’s diasporas in the advancement of their nations, efforts must be made so that the diasporas serve as a bridge between their country of origin and their current country of residence in a win-win framework. For instance, the diasporas should be informing their home country about scientific opportunities in their country of residence and vice versa. Meanwhile, scientific institutions (e.g. schools, universities, ministers/departments of education) in each country need to keep their diasporas up to date about scientific and educational news, needs, and opportunities. As the professional diaspora members living in developed countries are likely to be more alerted about scientific advancements in their areas of expertise, it would be more advantageous for every country to create a national pipeline between their intellectuals and their diaspora accordingly. Although certain countries are trying to create a department specialized in diaspora affairs, their local efforts cannot have a significant impact if each diaspora keeps working alone.