India has the highest percentage of researchers worldwide who are planning to move abroad in the coming years, driven by a search for better funding, higher salaries, and advanced laboratory infrastructure.
A global study titled ‘Researcher of the Future 2026’ reveals that 52 per cent of India-based researchers want to relocate overseas. This figure significantly outpaces other major nations; by comparison, 40 per cent of researchers in the United States and only 13 per cent in China express a desire to move abroad. The findings are based on a survey of more than 3,200 scientists globally conducted by academic publishing and analytics firm Elsevier.
Primary drivers for relocation
The high migration interest is tied directly to structural limits within the domestic scientific ecosystem. Indian scientists looking to move overseas consistently cite the need for superior facilities, access to larger research teams, better work-life balance, and increased research funding in their specific fields.
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“Researchers in India intend to go abroad because India is not necessarily known for its postgraduate programs and research capability. India is very well known for its undergraduate studies,” Dr Sandeep Sancheti, vice-president of academic relations at Elsevier, said. “People who fancy super-specialisation or a good level of facilities tend to go out.”
The global outlook and domestic funding
Challenging traditional concerns surrounding “brain drain”, Sancheti stated that strictly retaining domestic researchers may not benefit the scientific ecosystem. For scientific research to thrive, it requires a diverse and internationally mixed workforce, a model successfully utilized by the United States over several decades. “Research needs to be more global. Personally, I am not a strong advocate that we limit research to Indians,” Sancheti added.
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Despite the high inclination to relocate, the study notes that domestic research infrastructure has gained recent momentum through increased state support. Funding channels like specialized seed grants and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)—established in 2023 to foster an innovation culture across Indian universities and laboratories—are beginning to expand local research financing.
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