During the recent Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Union Government told the Lok Sabha that IIT graduates moving abroad for higher education or employment is a matter of "individual will and choice," responding to a question by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mala Roy on the migration of IIT alumni after campus placements. Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar, replying on behalf of the Ministry of Education, addressed all three queries together but did not provide data on the number of IIT graduates who moved overseas after securing campus placements.
The parliamentary discussion comes amid wider concerns over the retention of scientific talent in India. Weeks earlier, reports emerged of more than 100 scientists and engineers resigning from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), particularly from the U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. In response, the Department of Space tightened resignation and voluntary retirement rules for Group A personnel working on strategic missions such as Gaganyaan. Parliamentary data tabled earlier this year also showed that ISRO's science and technology cadre remained well below its sanctioned strength, highlighting broader concerns over recruitment and retention.
Why researchers leave
Migration studies broadly describe the phenomenon through a combination of "push" and "pull" factors.
Among the strongest push factors are limited career progression, bureaucratic institutional structures and inadequate research ecosystems. Researchers have long pointed to slow administrative processes, rigid hierarchies, promotion systems that reward seniority over merit, and limited autonomy in publicly funded institutions. In research-intensive fields, concerns also extend to funding continuity, laboratory infrastructure and the ability to pursue independent scientific inquiry.
Economic factors continue to influence decisions. While salaries remain an important consideration, researchers point to the wider research environment, including access to sophisticated equipment, interdisciplinary collaboration and long-term funding, as equally important determinants of where they choose to work.
What attracts talent overseas
Destination countries, meanwhile, continue to attract Indian graduates and researchers through well-funded universities, globally connected research ecosystems, stronger industry-academia partnerships and clearer pathways for professional advancement. Higher wages, academic freedom, stable research funding and established Indian diaspora networks further reduce the barriers to relocation.
Research on skilled migration suggests that economic disparities are only one part of the picture. Immigration policies, university recruitment strategies, industry demand and national research priorities all shape the movement of highly skilled professionals. The same conditions that encourage one researcher to leave may not influence another.
From brain drain to brain circulation
Recognising this, policy discussions have shifted from treating overseas migration as an irreversible loss. Instead, the emphasis has shifted towards "brain circulation," encouraging Indian researchers abroad to collaborate with institutions at home through joint research, visiting appointments and technology partnerships.
Several initiatives reflect this approach. The PM Research Fellowship seeks to strengthen doctoral research within India, while the National Research Foundation is expected to expand competitive research funding across disciplines. Programmes such as VAJRA and GIAN facilitate short-term teaching and research collaborations with members of the Indian scientific diaspora. IITs have also expanded incubators, entrepreneurship programmes, alumni engagement and industry partnerships to create more opportunities within the domestic innovation ecosystem.
Retaining talent at home
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 similarly places research, innovation and the internationalisation of higher education at the centre of India's knowledge economy, with the objective of making Indian institutions globally competitive while attracting talent from abroad.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had once argued that the Indian diaspora should be viewed as an "international brain bank" rather than a permanent loss. That idea continues to shape the government's approach. The challenge today is beyond preventing graduates and researchers from leaving, but ensuring that Indian institutions offer the academic freedom, research environment and professional opportunities that make staying, or returning, an equally compelling choice.
