Resignation deals blow to brain gain

The recent resignation of the scientific director of the Biomedical Research Foundation (BRFAA) of the Academy of Athens has cast a shadow over Greece's stated objective to plug the brain drain that has scarred the country and pave the way for a much-needed brain gain.

"I returned to our homeland to offer my knowledge and experience. Unfortunately, I saw that there was no interest in reorganizing the foundation," said Nikos Kyrpides, a leading, internationally recognized biologist and researcher, explaining the reasons for his resignation to Kathimerini.

Kyrpides, who led one of the largest research programs for microbial genomics and metagenomics worldwide at the Joint Genome Institute of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, applied for the post of scientific director of BRFAA in 2020 in what was hailed as a success of the much touted brain gain...