The Top Talent Mobility within Europe: Evidence from ERC Starting Grant Holders

As the global competition for talent is intensifying, many countries try to find ways to become an attractive destination for foreign talent. Data shows that countries vary greatly in their ability to attract highly skilled researchers from abroad (see OECD 2008). This paper uses biographical information of the 2013 round of the European Research Council starting grant holders (N=287) to analyze the mobility of the top of the European young scientists. Using an extended gravity model we explain the inflow and outflow patterns of the ERC grant holders by the characteristics of the country (distance, size, etc) and the higher education system (reputation). Equally interesting, however, is the variation that remains unexplained by the model. This enables an in-depth qualitative look at the institutional framework and specific policy practices that might explain why countries perform better or worse. Furthermore, personal biographical data allows us to zoom into the mobility patterns.