Towards the ‘Fifth Freedom’: Increasing the Mobility of Researchers in the European Union

Abstract

Many researchers trained in Europe leave to work abroad, namely in the USA. This brain‐drain phenomenon is the result of a lack of openness and competition in European academic systems. Some aspects relating to the mobility of academic careers could make a difference in attracting – and maintaining – researchers, aside to serious structural reform. This article explains how, in terms of mobility, it is possible to distinguish four different higher education models in Europe, showing persistent heterogeneity in the tenth anniversary of the Bologna Declaration.