Odysseus program: attracting excellent researchers from abroad

Dutch speaking chamber on September 23, 2020

The Court of Audit audited the Odysseus program with which Flemish government wants to attract top researchers from abroad. It found concrete objectives for the program are lacking. One in three Odysseus researchers was already staying in Belgium at the time of their nomination. The program attracts significantly more postdoctoral researchers than professors and they are more often of Belgian nationality. Candidates who forgo the grant and researchers who resign during or after their mandate usually do so because of higher pay and better research infrastructure.