Investing in development or "paying to leave": What is the real effect of the Ministry of Education's scholarships for excellence?

While the Ministry of Education claims that scholarships for excellence are not "paying for departure", but rather an investment in knowledge that must have a return effect for Montenegro, the civil sector warns that the state, without a clear return policy and serious opportunities on the domestic labor market, risks financing the departure of the best students with its own money.

Montenegro has awarded 32 scholarships for excellence for the academic year 2025/2026 to students studying at universities ranked among the top 200 in the world according to the Shanghai Ranking. 58 candidates applied for the competition, and the winners include students from Berkeley, Oxford, UCL, Imperial College London, University of Pennsylvania, Rice University, Sapientia, Padua, Bonn, Cologne, Vienna, Helsinki and Delft.

These scholarships can amount to up to 25.000 euros per candidate, and the Ministry presents them as a strategic instrument for investing in knowledge, international relations and the long-term development of the country. This is where the main dilemma begins: is the state building its own capacities in this way or is it opening another channel for the departure of the most talented young people.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation told "Vijesti" that they do not view the program through the concept of brain drain, but through, as they state, "circulation of talents" and "circulation of knowledge." In their responses, they point out that the support programs have "two interconnected goals - strengthening domestic scientific and research capacities and building a strong international network of Montenegrin researchers," and that it is a model that is aligned with the principles of the European Research Area.

No rigid obligation

In the department he manages Anđela Jakšić-Stojanović They emphasize that they did not opt ​​for a “rigid obligation for the physical return of scholarship holders”, because, as they state, the emphasis is placed on “a measurable contribution to Montenegro, and not on a formal place of residence after completing their studies”. According to their interpretation, the program is not designed so that the state “pays for departure”, but to finance the acquisition of top-notch knowledge with the obligatory connection of that knowledge to the Montenegrin research and development system.

The ministry explains that scholarship holders, especially at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels, must already cooperate with a licensed scientific research institution in Montenegro during the duration of the support, and that they are obliged to link the results of their work to the domestic system. In their responses, they state that the scholarship holder is obliged to publish at least one scientific paper in co-authorship with a researcher from Montenegro and to achieve additional results, such as lectures, workshops, mentoring activities, participation in project applications or the establishment of institutional partnerships. The ministry also emphasizes that these obligations are documented through reports, and that in the event of their failure to meet them, a refund of part of the funds may be requested.

In addition, the Ministry claims that they are not only building a mechanism for going to study, but also a mechanism for creating career opportunities in the country. As examples, they cite programs for funding postdoctoral research for excellence, the establishment of research groups and cooperation with industry. In this sense, they say that the success of the program is not measured by the number of scholarships, but by "publications, international projects, partnerships, knowledge transfer and strengthening institutional capacities."

The Ministry further emphasizes that students at the top 200 universities are "the most visible and credible representatives of Montenegro in the global academic space" and that, as they state, they are "ambassadors of knowledge of Montenegro" who build international academic and professional connections and open space for future cooperation in education, science and innovation.

On the other hand, Snezana Kaluđerović, Senior Legal Advisor at the Center for Civic Education (CCE), warns that such a model carries serious risks if it is not accompanied by a clear strategy for the return and retention of staff. She assesses that Montenegro already faces “a serious challenge of pronounced emigration of highly educated and talented staff” and that such a program could “further increase the risk of brain drain in the short term”, especially when the return of scholarship holders depends solely on their will.

Theoretical benefit

Kaluđerović says that in theory the benefits are clear: if students return, they bring with them knowledge, experience and professional networks that can strengthen the domestic system. But she warns that otherwise “Montenegro is practically financing the departure of its best staff and investing in the resources of some other countries”. In her opinion, the decision that there is no obligation to return is “in line with modern European practices and sends a message of trust towards students”, but without accompanying measures the state loses control over the outcome of its own investment.

She does not necessarily advocate only a strict model of obligation for scholarship holders. On the contrary, she believes that return is not ensured primarily by a contract, but by the quality of conditions in the country. As she states, the key is “a competitive labor market, stable institutions and professional opportunities”, but also “competitiveness and merit in employment”, which she assesses to still be a serious problem in Montenegro. In this context, she raises the question of why an excellent student, upon his return, would have to adapt to party and informal rules in order to get a job, if he can advance abroad based on his own results.

Speaking about comparative models, Kaluđerović reminds that the region is dominated by systems that include a certain degree of obligation to return or work in the public sector, while in the European Union such obligations generally do not exist, but, as he states, they are compensated by strong economies and developed institutions that in themselves attract and retain staff. Therefore, he believes that the most effective are "balanced approaches" that combine incentives, quality working conditions and development opportunities in the country, while completely voluntary models without adequate incentives carry a high risk of permanent staff outflow.

Among the measures that could increase the likelihood of return, she lists a more open and fair approach to employment, institutional support for research and innovation, but also so-called soft measures: tax breaks, support for startups and subsidies for the employment of returnees. She sees one of the biggest weaknesses of the current model as the lack of a “clear strategy that would unify measures and mechanisms to encourage return”, nor a sufficiently strong link between scholarships and the real needs of the domestic economy.

How the state "understands" return

Kaluđerović also warns about the broader context: the state invests in the education of the most talented abroad, but at the same time, in her opinion, it invests too little in raising the quality of higher education in Montenegro itself. As an illustration, she cites the poor positioning of domestic universities on international lists and the question of how open domestic institutions really are to young educated people who would return with experience and academic contacts from abroad.

The difference between these two positions comes down to how the state understands “return”. The ministry insists that the return does not have to be physical and that it is more important that knowledge remains connected to Montenegro through work, projects, mentoring and international partnerships. Critics, however, warn that without serious domestic opportunities, such a concept can easily remain at the level of a policy of good intentions, while the real effect will be a permanent relocation of the best personnel to more developed academic and economic systems.

That is why the Excellence Scholarships program opens up a much broader debate than just the distribution of money. The question is not just whether it is a good thing for the state to fund studies at Berkeley, Oxford or UCL, there is almost no dispute about that. The essential question is what Montenegro does next: does it build a system that can attract and utilize the knowledge of these people, or is it content with supporting them symbolically, while their careers and contributions mostly continue to develop elsewhere.