STEM shortfall in Europe: EAIE participants say alliances can help talent circulation and retention

Representatives of European university alliances and the European Commission gathered at the EAIE conference, taking place from 08 to 11/09/2026 in Glasgow (Scotland), to discuss the critical challenge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent retention in Europe and how European university alliances, supported by strategic policy changes, can address it.

Yann-Maël Bideau, Team Leader for European Universities Alliances in the higher education unit of the DGEAC at the European Commission, explained that Europe was lacking STEM graduates, resulting in a shortfall of two million STEM professionals: "We are not sufficiently attractive for graduates to stay in Europe and we don't have enough people entering STEM education."

To address this, the EU launched a STEM…