Towards a better policy to help Swiss scientists abroad return to Switzerland

Document produced by a "Swiss-List¹⁾" committee²⁾, for the visit of Dr. Charles Kleiber, State Secretary for Science and Research.

Problem Statement

Young Swiss scientists represent a significant investment from the Swiss government. Some of them leave Switzerland to perfect their formation abroad, often thanks to grants distributed by the Swiss National Research Fund. A significant part of them stay abroad to start their carrier. This represents a lost investment, as well as a loss of intellectual resources for Switzerland.

Generally, technological innovation, as well as the creation of small innovative companies seems to find much more fertile ground in California than in Switzerland. The numerous difficulties experienced in the process of technology transfer from the academic to the private sector lower the Swiss economy's competitiveness.

The San Francisco Bay Area is the home of several world-famous research and education centers; the renowned "Silicon Valley" is also located there, as well as several consortiums very active in the bio-technology sector. Because of their professional experience, Swiss scientists in this region are naturally inclined to work in an environment that fosters a tight collaboration between academic and industrial institutions. They also maintain daily contacts with the California's typical entrepreneurial spirit.

The "Swiss-List" group tried to understand the main reasons that would prevent young scientists in California to move back to their homeland, and is bringing forward a few solutions. Here they are, in summary:

• Improve communication between Switzerland and Swiss scientists abroad.
  • Stimulate the centralization of job offers in the fields of high-level research and education on a single electronic site.
  • Promote its use to commercial employers interested in personnel highly qualified in science and technology.
  • Create a weekly electronic newsletter that summarizes significant scientific events in Switzerland.
  • Stimulate the creation abroad (USA) of a "forum" allowing Swiss corporations to meet with young Swiss scientists abroad.
  • Promote the invitation of Swiss scientists abroad to conferences organized in Switzerland.
  • Publicize private initiative featuring researchers' mobility.

• Alleviate the difficulties linked to the return of Swiss scientists with administrative and financial incentives.
  • Alleviate the tax burden placed on Swiss scientists in the USA through negotiations between the Swiss and American governments (tax treaty regarding researchers and teachers, tax treaty regarding the transfer of retirement funds).
  • Lower the administrative difficulties met by Swiss scientists abroad on their return to Switzerland (unemployment insurance, temporary jobs, low rate loans, grant extension in case of return, modification of the Social Security conditions for the spouses of Swiss grant holders).

Promote the exchange of information between Switzerland and Swiss scientists abroad.

It is often difficult to stay informed of the latest job high-level offerings in Switzerland from abroad. Furthermore, young Swiss scientists abroad often lose contact with the Swiss scientific community. Some fairly cheap and simple initiatives could alleviate this problem.

• Stimulate the centralization of job offers in the fields of high-level research and education on a single electronic site.

  Full-time or long-term positions in the Federal Institutes of Technology (EPF, ETH), Universities, HES, engineering schools as well as government scientific positions should be transmitted to a single central site using modern electronic information media.

  It is often difficult to stay informed from abroad of the latest job high-level offerings in Switzerland (professor, teacher in science and research, scientific collaborator) that are offered by public science and research facilities before their due date. More often than not, these positions are advertised only through the local media (local newspapers, "Feuille des Avis Officiels"). It would be very useful to have such positions be transmitted to a central site using modern electronic information media. Such a site could be browsed using the World Wide Web (WWW), or could publish job offerings via electronic mail to a list of subscribed users. This is currently partially done by Telejob (http://www.telejob.ethz.ch/). It is possible to consider using this site as a starting point. Telejob is currently mainly focusing on doctorate level and post-doctorate positions and is far from complete. A very serious promotion effort needs to be undertaken with directions and rectorates, so that they will require such position announcements to be transmitted to this central site.

• Promote its use to commercial employers interested in personnel highly qualified in science and technology.

  A repeated effort should be made to make private employers aware of availability of such a resource and improve the circulation of highly qualified personnel in science and technology.

  The site mentioned above must be open to private corporations. A wide distribution of government positions will generate interest on the part of high-level personnel. This interest in turn should generate interest with private employers if an appropriate promotion effort is undertaken. The advantages of such diffusion could be brought forward: access to a larger pool of qualified candidates, availability of new ideas, etc. In this context, it would be useful to give private and public employers up-to-date information about initiatives taken to improve the return of highly qualified personnel. A similar initiative, Swissclick.ch (http://www.swissclick.ch/), was taken by some of the big publishing groups in Switzerland , is aimed at grouping classified ads (including job offers) published in national newspapers across the country.

• Create a weekly electronic newsletter that summarizes significant scientific events in Switzerland.

  One person could summarize the Swiss scientific events and distribute this information via email to subscribers.

  Swiss scientists abroad lose contact with the scientific and technology community in Switzerland. A short electronic information newsletter would help them stay informed of significant scientific events in Switzerland. The raw content could be extracted from publications of the Federal Institutes, Universities, scientific publications, scientific articles in the non-specialized press et spontaneous communications. Such a newsletter should be short (15 to 20 lines per topic). It could also mention scientific congresses and conferences in Switzerland.

• Stimulate the creation abroad (USA) of a "forum" allowing Swiss corporations to meet with young Swiss scientists abroad.

  A traveling forum visiting the regions most populated with Swiss scientists could be imagined. Labor groups, big corporations with R&D departments as well as innovating companies would be invited to join.

  The development of personal relationships between Swiss scientists abroad and the Swiss scientific and technologic community must be encouraged. Initiatives such as the "Swiss-List" were founded with this goal in mind, creating an "alumni" network. Furthermore, meetings between scientific community and economy would foster contact with employers. Corporations with active R&D departments should be able to personally meet with Swiss scientists abroad.

• Promote the invitation of Swiss scientists abroad to conferences organized in Switzerland.

  Special grants or diverse assistance intending to alleviate the cost of travel expenses for a conference in Switzerland or to give seminars could be considered.

  Given the large number of international conferences given in the US, it is very difficult to justify to American employers the expense of participating to a conference in Switzerland, or generally in Europe. Assistance from the SNRF is limited to grantees from the SNRF, is limited to trips taken during the length of the grant and is fairly difficult to obtain. Special grants or diverse assistance intending to alleviate the cost of travel expenses for a conference in Switzerland or to give seminars could be considered.

• Publicize private initiative featuring researchers' mobility.

  Initiatives such as the "Swiss-List" should be mentioned to new candidates planning to further their formation abroad (for example in flyers from the SNRF or other granting organisms).

Alleviate the difficulties linked to the return of Swiss scientists with administrative and financial incentives.

Leaving for a foreign country, changing your specialty, going from public to private sector (or the opposite), represent in Switzerland a risk in the pursue of a successful career. However, this behavior should be encouraged, since it improves the circulation of ideas and promotes innovation. Administrative or financial incentives would allow reducing the risks and making such carrier changes more attractive.

• Alleviate the tax burden placed on Swiss scientists in the USA through negotiations between the Swiss and American governments.
  • Tax treaty for teachers and trainees. The majority of foreign researchers and scientists in the US benefit from a two-year tax break. To benefit of such a tax break, a Swiss researcher must be able to demonstrate a previous teaching experience in Switzerland before departing for the US, as well as during their stay. This difference seems peculiar.
  • Retirement funds treaty. Having to repurchase the "Second Pilier" when returning in Switzerland represents a significant cost. It is a direct cost if taken by the employee. If the employer agrees to repurchase it, it certainly lowers the attractiveness of the potential employee. It would be interesting to be able to transfer such retirement benefits without any penalty in the US, as long as the proceeds are to be transferred for equivalent retirement funds in Switzerland.

• Lower the administrative difficulties met by Swiss scientists abroad on their return to Switzerland.
  • Taking into account years of contributions before departure in the case of a return from abroad. When stays abroad last more than two years, only minimal benefits are allowed in case of unemployment. This is evidently hindering the return to Switzerland if a position is not secured before the return. In this case, we are proposing that years of contribution before the departure be taken into account in the calculation of an eventual distribution of benefits, even if the contributions happened more than two years ago.
  • Low or no interest loans to finance the return to Switzerland. The creation of an organism offering very low or nil interest loans could help alleviate the difficulties associated with a return to Switzerland.
  • Grant extension for the return. Allocating an extra bit of grant in case of a return to Switzerland (travel and moving expenses) could be considered.
  • Modification of the social security system for grantees' spouses. Swiss grantees can choose to contribute to social security while abroad, and are in this case subject to a minimal taxation (similar to students). If the grantee is married and the spouse does not work, spousal contributions are calculated on the basis of half the amount of the grant. For a starting researcher, for example, the spousal contribution amounts to approximately twice the grantees'. This seems fairly contradictory.

1) The Swiss-List is a group of young Swiss scientists active in the San Francisco bay area and the Silicon Valley.

2) The members of the Swiss-List committee that produced this document are:

This document was made possible thanks to ideas that were brought by Swiss-List members who are not mentioned here, but whose contributions were important. We wish to thank here all contributors.