Global science for global challenges: paths towards securing international scientific collaboration

Realizing effective scientific collaboration among nations is not an easy task. As our first piece showed (here), the landscape of international collaboration is complex and variable, leaving much we cannot explain and do not yet understand. Consequently, there is likely no ‘one size fits all’ pathway, as each country must navigate complexity shaped by a wide range of factors including issues of trust, income status, historical antecedents and the changing geo-political landscape. This complexity notwithstanding, our stakeholder discussions identified a range of cross-cutting issues serving as barriers to and opportunities for durable and resilient international collaboration. Our discussions focused on country-level relations because it is the diplomatic and cultural ties among nations, alongside decisions about domestic expenditures and resourcing of the research and innovation system, that position a country as more or less ready to engage in collaboration. The case for country-level support for international collaboration can sometimes be hard to make, especially when doing so is costly and risks exposing national security vulnerabilities. However, countries that do invest in international collaboration can avoid knowledge and skills deficits that slow the engine of innovation, paving the way for technological, economic and societal innovation. Strong collaborations among nations through their researchers also creates both formal and informal networks of scientists that can be important avenues for diplomacy and innovation. The trends we identified in the first paper of this series are a snapshot of the landscape of scientific collaboration. Taken together, they shine light on specific areas requiring attention to maximize the benefits of collaboration. While the dynamic nature of research and the complexity of the geo-political landscape makes it challenging to point to any single factor or policy that a country, company, or funder could change to support effective scientific collaboration, some general pathways to supporting international collaboration are clear. For full content Please click here