Recommendation 14

Academic institutions in Scotland depend on partnerships and connections with institutions across the EU. That includes academics who come from the EU to work in Scotland, who often specialise in highly technical areas which can be difficult to recruit from elsewhere. Whilst immigration policies are key, it’s also important to create a hospitable environment where academics feel welcome. We have heard during our inquiry that academics from the EU working in Scotland have been returning to the EU, and that job applications from EU academics are being withdrawn. We have been told that this is not because they are not allowed to stay or come to Scotland, it is because they do not feel welcome following Brexit. The UK Government must promote a positive narrative—including by using its significant diplomatic reach—that, whilst we have left the EU, the UK and Scotland remain an attractive place to work for EU nationals and the brightest and best the EU has to offer are not just ‘allowed’ to work here, but are actively welcomed. (Paragraph 151) Universities and Scotland 7 1 Introduction Universities in Scotland