Cyprus has a 'brain gain' plan
Business Daily
BBC
4.4 • 796 Ratings
🗓️ 22 September 2025
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We look at how the European country is trying to lure talent back home.
It is specifically targeting people from science, technology, engineering and innovation sectors, using tax breaks and a campaign to remind people about the benefits of returning.
A number of countries are bringing in similar initiatives, so is it forward thinking? Or will it create a two-tier system?
Produced and presented by Daniel Rosney
(Picture: Two women relax in a waterfront cafe during the day in the Mediterranean port of Limassol, Cyrpus. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:08.0 | May 2025. |
| 0:10.7 | Tonight marks a turning point. |
| 0:13.5 | This initiative led by the government of Cyprus is not just a call to action. |
| 0:18.7 | It is a homecoming. |
| 0:20.3 | Described as a flagship initiative of the Cypriot government, |
| 0:24.3 | a new project aimed at lowering back its brightest mines is launched. |
| 0:28.7 | Together, we can reverse the brain drain into a brain gain. |
| 0:33.3 | Not in its capital, Nicosia, though. Instead, two and a half thousand miles away in London. |
| 0:40.2 | The Mines in Cyprus program taglined the Brain Gain Initiative. Its aim is to attract talented |
| 0:47.2 | professionals who've moved abroad to return to Cyprus and contribute to the country's ongoing |
| 0:53.4 | transformation. |
| 0:54.8 | With emerging industries, a growing tech ecosystem and a vision for a knowledge-based economy, |
| 1:00.8 | the time pact is now. |
| 1:02.1 | One proposal is a 25% tax cut for those returning after seven years. |
| 1:08.1 | Another is a near tripling of the maximum tax exemption. There are also pledges |
| 1:13.5 | to help with housing and support with education and healthcare. I'm Daniel Rosne and on today's |
| 1:19.8 | Business Daily on the BBC World Service, I'm going to explore this initiative and examine |
| 1:25.1 | whether it's a forward thinking project or is it a two-tier |
| 1:29.6 | system in the making. And we'll also hear how other countries are trying to bring their |
| 1:34.7 | talent back home. |
| 1:47.1 | Hello. |
... |
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