What promising young scientists in Montenegro need

On occasion text “Investing in development or 'paying to leave': What is the real effect of the Ministry of Education's scholarships for excellence”, Vijesti, 14. 4. 2026.

Inspired by the article about scholarships for excellence awarded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro, I cannot help but give my own comment on this topic, but also the eternal question of "how to prevent brain drain" from our dear homeland. Of course, I am not doing this with the aim of justifying and defending the said Ministry. I cannot do all of this even if I wanted to, since I am recognized as one of the most fierce critics of the current government. However, my response to this topic is as a recipient of the said scholarship, but also as someone who is completing his doctorate at a top foreign university, and will soon find himself in the problem of finding a job, creating his own existence and continuing his scientific and research career.

1. Let us first consider the role of the Ministry in creating highly educated academic, scientific, research and economic personnel. The aforementioned scholarship, which began to be awarded last year, represents one of the best ideas implemented in the history of Montenegrin higher education. The reason is very simple - talented students who have the mental capacity to attend the best universities in the world, but do not have the financial means to cover those costs, can now use and develop their own capacities in the best way at the expense of the state. And that is commendable.

2. I see the role of the Ministry precisely through this program - enabling those who are eager for knowledge to obtain it. That is their primary role. So that it never happens again that some top mind remains unpolished according to the best world standards just because her or his parents did not have the finances to pay for tuition and living expenses that amount to several tens of thousands of euros. In essence, a source of funding for science is slowly being formed in Montenegro, especially for the few of us who choose to pursue it, and even more so for those who want to pursue it from our beloved homeland.

3. Now the question that was raised in the above text arises, and concerns the return of those who were educated abroad at state (or foreign/own) expense. Of course, it is clear that no one can be forced to return. First of all, it would not be ethical or scientific on the part of the state, if that "honed mind" does not have the opportunity and space to apply what they have acquired here, i.e. continue to engage in their research. You will agree that it would not be right to oblige someone who, for example, graduated or received a doctorate from Oxford to be employed in the municipality of Danilovgrad, or in one of the state institutions in a clerical position. Although these positions are very important for the functioning of the system, something like this would be very unproductive, i.e. the capacity and knowledge invested in would not be used even a fraction. Therefore, we must consider other models in order to succeed in bringing young people back.

4. Let's say, I personally am currently in such a situation. In February I should finish my doctorate and every day I ask myself the question of what will happen to me. After twenty-three years of uninterrupted education from Danilovgrad, Podgorica, Zagreb, to Dublin, Padua and Yale, I am coming to a moment in my life when the era of formal education is ending and when the learned and acquired education needs to be applied, i.e. to benefit both me personally and society as a whole. As a patriot, Bandić, Katunjanin, Montenegrin, I would have no greater desire than to stay and apply the aforementioned experience to these our children. And believe me, if I were to receive an offer from Yale, where I was a visiting research assistant, and some Montenegrin scientific institution at the same time, I would choose the latter. I think that most of those who are educated abroad, including those who are supported by the state, think the same. However, we face a very big problem of limited options, especially in higher education and academia, and especially when it comes to social sciences, multidisciplinary fields, and those fields that are currently lacking in our country.

5. I expressed my opinion that in my opinion, the role of the Ministry is to help in acquiring education, i.e. to send "minds to be sharpened", and in my opinion they are generally doing this successfully. I believe that in the coming years there will be more innovation, but also more money. However, now we are asking the question of who is responsible for ensuring that these "sharpened minds" return home? There is a long list of those who could help in all this, but, in general, as far as we are concerned who are completing doctorates in various fields are concerned, it is the University of Montenegro. The UCG is an institution that has its own budget measured in millions of euros, however, its scientific and research impact is at a very low level, which has been emphasized for years. To be frank, the UCG can never be a highly ranked institution in general, but it can be very highly positioned in individual fields. That is ultimately how small research universities gain fame. In individual fields. In order to achieve something like this, it is necessary to focus on research activities as primary, and teaching as secondary. Unfortunately, in our country, the University operates exclusively as a teaching institution, but not as a scientific and research institution, especially when it comes to social sciences and humanities.

6. I will justify this claim with a specific example. The UCG website states that in 2024, a total of 11 scientific papers were published in journals that are on prestigious lists at the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Political Sciences and the Institute of History. In my opinion, this is devastating, since these are institutions that employ over forty scientists, who should be the basis of Montenegrin social and humanistic science. On the other hand, in such a situation, are we raising the question of the return of Montenegrin scientists from abroad? I think the answer to that question is more than clear, and it is reflected in the fact that it is necessary to allow engagement at faculties to those who deserve it and justify it with their references. Not as lecturers, if there is already saturation in that sense, but as researchers, people whose primary task is not just holding classes, but tangible scientific activity and impact, i.e. influence. It is also necessary to affirm the formation of research centers, both as independent units and as centers within the faculty.

7. Unfortunately, the system from some previous decades still prevails in our country when it comes to the functioning of higher education and scientific activities. Not to mention the method of selection for academic titles, in which scientific references should play the main role, or to put it more simply, simply measuring who is the better scientist, based on publications and previous scientific work. Unfortunately, as far as I can hear, this is not the practice in our country. Selection is not based on references and success, but on acquaintances and patronage. What impression would a certain newly-minted PhD from Berkeley get if he were elected as an assistant professor not him but some of his colleagues who graduated from Pale, for example? And that potential glimmer of hope and desire to stay would be extinguished without the desire to try again and wait for months or years for a new competition.

8. I return and end with a personal example. As much as my moral, patriotic, and deepest feelings, because I love this country more than anything and would give my life for it at any moment, like all my generations before me, dictate to me that I stay in it and apply the education I have acquired in it for decades, it is inappropriate and impossible for a young scientist to be expected to rot for years waiting for an opportunity. For a young scientist, the first years of his career are crucial. In times when the not-so-popular, and in my opinion unfair motto "publish or perish" prevails in academia and science, the first publications and the first engagement are the most important. A significant empty space, i.e. the gap between completing studies and the first position, would greatly affect whether an individual would ever be able to start a scientific career again. Montenegrin students from top world institutions, as well as their colleagues from around the world, cannot allow that gap. We cannot allow ourselves to wait years for rigged competitions, and we are only looking for one. Only one thing is needed for us to return home and continue to shine in the crown of the Montenegrin eagle, not someone else's - give us just one chance and don't extinguish our hopes, which we are full of. Once the hope of one's own homeland is extinguished, it is also the last.

The author is a PhD student, University of Padua, Italy.