New Call from Recovery Plan Will Support Cooperation with Slovaks Living Abroad

Bratislava, September 2 (TASR) – Strengthening relations with the Slovak diaspora abroad and creating opportunities to use the minds of compatriots for the modernisation of Slovakia is the goal of the call announced by the Government Office's Research and Innovation Authority (VAIA). The allocation worth €1.6 million is mainly intended to support events that will inform about the possibilities of work in Slovakia and the use of the capital of experienced people who have established themselves abroad. In this context, Prime Minister Ludovit Odor drew attention to the fact that for a long time talent and mitigating the brain drain abroad were not considered necessary for Slovakia to be able to cope with the challenges of today. "We have no choice but to change the approach to talent, innovation and the future," stated the premier. A member of the Slovak diaspora is considered to be a natural person living abroad who has ties to Slovakia, and doesn't have to be a citizen of the Slovak Republic. These are mainly people who left in recent decades for economic reasons, or students and interns whose short-term stay abroad changed for professional or private reasons to permanent emigration. Vice-premier for the Recovery and Resilience Plan and Use of EU Funds Livia Vasakova believes that the projects supported by the call will inspire as many of them as possible to return. "The amount of grants can range between €100,000-€200,000," she added. The funds are intended to support, for example, conferences, workshops, acceleration programmes and digital platforms, which will contain information about the possibilities of returning to Slovakia, job offers and the possibility of cooperation with organisations in Slovakia. am/mcs