The New U.S. Roadshow, Exorbitant Ambition, and the Greek Fiasco
Now in its 14th month, the “Minds in Cyprus” initiative—which aims to repatriate skilled professionals and Cypriots from the diaspora—appears to be setting its sights on more countries.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Having made a very positive impression and generated significant interest in London, according to government and business circles, the program is expected to expand to other locations.
However, as “alpha tis Kyriakis” noted in a previous report, “Minds in Cyprus” has been unable to provide concrete and measurable results regarding its impact. This applies both to the labor market and to the extent to which the country is now attractive for repatriation.
The Official Position
Speaking about the progress of the plan, Deputy Minister to the President, Eirini Piki, clarified the state’s role in *Alpha* Sunday and emphasized that the government acts as a catalyst rather than as an intermediary employer.
“We, as the government, do not operate as an employment agency. We have created an action plan with a series of incentives, the most important of which is the tax framework.”
He explained that the “Minds in Cyprus” platform serves both as an information portal for those interested in settling in Cyprus and as a space where interested individuals can register, indicate their areas of interest, and receive automatic notifications about available positions.
“Beyond that, we are not involved in the process of connecting the two parties or in the interviews. That is a matter directly between the candidate and the respective company,” he emphasized.
According to the data available so far, approximately 800 people have registered on the platform, while a total of around 260 job openings have been posted, with about 140 remaining active. A full assessment of the tax incentive is expected to become apparent once tax returns are filed, which will take place in the new year.
Of course, there is currently no measurable indicator, either of whether the program is having an impact or of whether the high level of interest cited by various stakeholders can actually translate into real jobs.
From London to the U.S.
The United Kingdom has seen the greatest level of interest, which led to the organization of two events, the second of which took place this past June.
“The second event saw a strong turnout of professionals who conducted actual on-site interviews. This model will serve as our guide for future initiatives,” he said.
As he revealed, the next event is expected to take place this coming December in the U.S., either in New York or Boston. This roadshow will take place as part of President of the Republic Nicos Christodoulides’ visit to the U.S. It should be noted that the President undertook a similar tour in April 2025, during which, among other things, he held meetings with companies such as Nvidia and Amazon.
Referring to the previous experience in the U.S., the Deputy Minister noted that “Through that visit, we saw investment interest from technology companies, and the CYPHR network was created for Cypriot scientists and professionals in the diaspora in the region. Reaching out to the diaspora beyond traditional channels is a critical strategy that is bearing fruit.”
At the same time, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, future missions to Greece, Australia, and Gulf countries are being evaluated.
In closing, the Deputy Minister emphasized that “Minds in Cyprus” serves as a tool to showcase the country’s structural transformation:
“We are not approaching the issue strictly in quantitative terms—that is, whether 50, 100, or 500 scientists will return. The goal is to showcase the modern image of Cyprus. We want our compatriots abroad to know that the Cypriot economy is now creating high-quality, attractive, and well-paid jobs.”
Once again, however, it remains unclear to what extent these trips to large and distant countries abroad can be justified, where nearly the entire government delegation, as well as corporate representatives, travel with them.
Cyprus’s Position on the International Stage
On the international stage, Cyprus appears to exhibit remarkable characteristics both in terms of its human capital base and as a destination in its own right. According to the European CReAM report (April 2026), Cyprus ranks among the top countries in the EU in terms of the percentage of its native-born population with a tertiary education (55.1%, tied for first place with Ireland), while the percentage of immigrants with a university education is also high (45.9% for citizens of EU countries and 47% for third-country nationals).
Furthermore, an analysis of global migration flows by the University of Vermont identifies Cyprus as the third most popular destination for highly skilled professionals moving from the U.S. (accounting for 7.4% of the relevant outflows to the 20 main countries), with a strong presence of mid-career professionals (ages 35–54) and a particularly high concentration in the Human Resources (HR) sector (20.9%).
The Gap in Greece and the Comparison
In contrast, the data for Greece reveal deeper structural challenges in attracting and utilizing skilled personnel. While the percentage of Greek citizens (aged 25–64) with a college degree stands at 36.8%, the country has one of the largest negative gaps in the entire EU regarding non-EU immigrants, as only 14.9% of them have a university degree (a difference of -21.9 percentage points compared to native-born residents).
At the same time, in terms of international graduate flows, Greece functions primarily as a destination for business professionals (Business Development at 15.7%) and less so as a hub for research or advanced technological expertise, a fact that explains why initiatives such as “Trust your Stars” faced serious implementation difficulties.
A Greek… fiasco
This is also confirmed by foreign media reports, which have harshly criticized the Greek equivalent of the program. Specifically, Politico reports that efforts to stem the “brain drain” are turning into a major fiasco. The reason is the cancellation of the “Trust your Stars” research program in Greece, worth 80 million euros through the EU Recovery Fund, according to reports. While Athens sought to attract young researchers and scientists back to the country following the mass exodus caused by the economic crisis, the initiative collapsed amid intense criticism, leaving the academic community with a strong sense of betrayal and abandonment.
The program gradually fell apart when, after 13 months of delays, the 145 selected proposals out of 1,241 submissions were announced in July 2025, triggering more than 200 objections regarding non-transparent evaluation procedures and complaints even to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Ultimately, the Greek government tacitly withdrew the project from the National Recovery Plan due to its inability to implement it within the EU’s tight deadlines, redirecting the funds elsewhere, but without officially informing the researchers involved for nearly ten months.
Academics are speaking out about a flagrant breach of the trust between citizens and the state, as several young scientists turned down job offers abroad while waiting for the project to begin. This failure highlights the chronic shortcomings of domestic scientific research, where government spending fell in 2025 to 0.51% of GDP (1.27 billion euros), with members of the research community emphasizing that such policies effectively nullify the “brain gain” narrative and deter Greek scientists in the diaspora from returning home.
From “brain drain” to “brain circulation”
International mobility is gradually transforming into a model of “brain circulation.” According to a recent global study of graduates from top universities (QS Rankings), the U.S. takes the lion’s share, attracting 38.4% of highly qualified professionals, followed by the United Kingdom (7.9%), Canada (6.8%), and the United Arab Emirates (5.2%).
The choice of destination is determined by economic dynamics (per capita GDP), institutional stability, and the quality of education, with unemployment acting as a deterrent. At the same time, markets absorb talent in line with their productive base: technology hubs attract engineers and IT specialists, while the services sector focuses on business development and operations.
