Brain drain from Albania towards Germany: The case of students and academics in Tirana

In the last decade, Albania has become one of the largest emigration countries in the world. Part of this migration process is the scientific diaspora. This group includes professionals, doctoral holders and doctoral students living and working abroad. The focus of this is to investigate the reasons why academics and PhD students leave Albania and to identify the conditions for the return of scientists and professionals to Albania. There are two ways in which information on these questions is obtained. These are interviews with Albanian students and academics working and studying abroad, and interviews with human resources managers in Albanian universities. The Albanian scientific community includes students mainly based in developed countries, who differ in their fields of study and mostly work in universities and research institutes. Although members of this community still have ties with Albania, only a small proportion of them consider returning to Albania. The reasons for not returning can be economic, social or political. The study therefore provides an overview of the reasons why Albania has experienced brain drain in recent years.