Slovakia lagging behind in investments in science and research

Slovakia's investments into science and research are the lowest from among the countries in the region. The analysis by the Slovenská sporiteľňa bank shows that one of the reasons behind this is the brain drain from Slovakia. According to the statistics from Eurostat, in 2016 Slovakia allocated 0.79 % of its GDP to science and research, which is the lowest ratio in the region, as the Czechs invest around 1.6 % of GDP, Hungarians 1.21 % of GDP and Poles around 1 % of GDP. Meanwhile, the goal of the EU is to make the countries spend at least 3% of GDP in research. The contrasts within the EU are even more significant, as on average Slovakia spends 118 euros on science per capita, in Sweden the sum per capita is more than ten times higher, 1,537 euro. According to the Slovenská sporiteľna analyst Katarína Muchová, greater investments into science and research could slow down, if not entirely stop, the massive brain drain from Slovakia.