Similarly, host countries are much more receptive to the
collaboration with international and Spanish scientific
institutions than the national scientific institutions when it
comes to promoting collaboration with health science
researchers in Spain. In this last sense, keeping a list of
contacts among colleagues is also a valid means of getting
scientists to return in the way Fontes [15] indicated. Consequently,
the authorities and managers of the Sistema
Nacional de Salud are advised to encourage these types of
contacts. Of note, Fontes [15] also revealed the importance
of establishing contacts with international associations
of Portuguese scientists. In the case of Spain, this
approach can be performed by employees of the Sistema
Nacional de Salud through the recently established Spanish
learned associations of the scientific diaspora: SRUK/CERU,
CERFA, ACES and ECUSA.
We also show that the models that should be taken as
examples in areas of knowledge related to the collaboration
of Spanish scientists abroad did not show a much
higher level than those concerning health sciences. The
primary positions largely focus on the area of social and
legal sciences and humanities, and therefore it would be
interesting to assess whether this area is developing good
practices in this sense.
The information obtained herein has implications for
health management. An improvement in the collaboration
with Spanish scientists abroad can bring about
significant benefits to the Sistema Nacional de Salud.
This collaboration could lead to an increase in human
resources for this area through the re-establishment of
contacts that could increase the possibility of working
together, even if it would primarily be at a distance.
Similarly, the quality of national human resources
would also benefit from the enrichment of collaborating
with those who have been further educated and who
have gained experience abroad. In addition, integration
into the labour market could be improved thanks to the
awareness of the value added by these scientists in
other countries, unseen by the thus far limited collaboration
that has been found in this study. The awareness
of their value can not only drive the discovery of new
attractive opportunities for investment, but also lead to
the creation of jobs, greater national and international
scientific output, and a larger sharing of scientific
knowledge. Likewise, collaboration between these scientists
based abroad and the doctors willing to conduct
research, but who have little time, can support the work
of the latter by allowing them to also carry out experiments,
and motivating them in all their research tasks.
Finally, it would also be interesting to study the existing
examples of international collaboration of national researchers
working in Spain with scientists from other
countries. The strengthening of this collaboration can
be an important measure to enrich the investigations of
national researchers without leaving their professional
positions in Spain.