They have a population of ~375k (half as much as Alaska), and they are one of the most sparsely populated and remote parts of Europe. So there's not many people to fill the role of scientist, and they don't have the network effect of other European centers that can attract great minds. Instead, their best usually go to foreign universities where they can play with the expensive toys. But that said, they've got the most geothermal energy of any place in Europe, and they do a lot of deep sea fishing too. You need a lot of smart or at least average intelligence people to not have anything blow up or sink.