Center for Social Research head says 'brain drain' one of causes of concern in Azerbaijan

"Brain drain" is one of the main causes of concern in Azerbaijan, Zahid Oruj, chairman of the Board of the Social Research Center, said at a roundtable discussion on "Socio-political sciences amid modern challenges: Think tanks, academic science, and universities," Report informs.

"According to the results of a sociological study conducted by the SRC in scientific institutions in 2024, brain drain, intellectual migration (39.7%), personnel issues and career opportunities (38.9%), and the image of scientists (34.6%) were identified as among the main problems," he added.

Oruj also touched on the issue of science funding: "In Austria, whose territory and population are similar to Azerbaijan, science spending in 2024 amounted to €16 billion, or 3.5% of GDP, a record high in terms of research intensity. In our country, 0.3 to 0.5% of GDP is spent on science. Overall, the science funding budget has shown positive dynamics year after year."