Momentum warns of underinvestment in Maltese research

Momentum has expressed concern about the lack of sustainable funding for doctoral and early-career postdoctoral research, after a National Audit Office report flagged a long-standing failure of successive governments to adequately invest in research and development in Malta. 

Malta remains among the lowest spenders in the European Union on research and development, despite years of sustained economic growth and steadily rising GDP. 

Malta’s total spending on research and development stood at 0.6% of GDP, which is below the EU’s 3% target, ranking low next to other EU member states for research investment. 

Matthew Agius, an executive member of Momentum, said young Maltese scientists are often forced to pursue doctoral studies abroad, often at their own expense, only to return to Malta and find no research posts available, “not due to a lack of talent or ambition, but because the government has failed to build a properly funded research ecosystem”.

Momentum also pointed out that government research grants rarely extend beyond one or two years, making it difficult to fund PhD programmes in Malta. 

This persistent underinvestment is particularly concerning given Malta’s consistent economic growth, making the government’s failure to prioritise research “difficult to justify”, they said. 

(Photo: Momentum)

The NAO report also highlights structural weaknesses in Malta’s national research and innovation framework, which include the lack of a detailed implementation roadmap, limited and weak performance indicators, and a lack of transparent, traceable financial mechanisms. 

“Malta also lacks permanent research-focused positions, with most government academic posts primarily dedicated to teaching. This is a tragic waste of human potential and a clear failure of long-term national planning,” Agius added. 

Momentum believes that the government should double public investment in research and development from 0.6% to at least 1.2% of GDP, and to treat the NAO as a “wake-up call”.