MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina votes “Roots” bill to woo back 7.000 scientists

A bill aimed at facilitating the return of 7.000 Argentine scientists currently working abroad, known as the “Roots program” will be considered the country's Senate. The bill has Lower House approval.

Since its introduction in 2003, the program has assisted some 400 Argentine scientists to return home by paying their airfares and providing them with assistance in finding suitable employment. "About 7000 Argentine scientists work abroad, of whom we have surveyed 4.000", said Alejandro Ceccatto, one of the officials at the Argentine Ministry of Science and Technology responsible for the program. Ceccatto also said that the passing of the Roots programme into law was not only intended "to tempt those abroad (into returning) but also to make use of all those highly-trained Argentines living and working abroad, who can be of service to the country even if they decide not to return". She also confirmed that her ministry was also focused on discouraging scientists from emigrating in the first place and said that "the current state of science and technology in this country is sufficiently attractive for there to be no necessity for anyone to have to go abroad" and said that the key to this was "the retention of the human resources developed in Conicet (the Argentine scientific and technical research council) which awards 1500 scholarships a year and which also has 500 annual openings for researchers." With regard to the reception given to the bill by the 15 members of the Upper House's Science and technology committee, chaired by Senator Pablo Verani, as "very positive, there were no objections to the program". (BAH).-