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Exploring the role of international research collaboration in building China’s world-class universities

Zhang, Duanhong ; Ding, Wenjia LU orcid ; Wang, Yang and Liu, Siwen (2022) In Sustainability 14(6).
Abstract
This study explored the international research collaboration led by China’s world-class universities and its impact during the first construction cycle of the “Double First-Class” initiative (2016–2020). We collected international collaborative publications based on the Scopus database and examined the performance of international research collaboration in terms of quantity, impact, collaborative networks, and subject areas using scientometric indicators and social network analysis. We found that international collaboration accounts for only a quarter of the total output but is far above the overall level of scientific papers in terms of quality and impact. The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong remain China’s... (More)
This study explored the international research collaboration led by China’s world-class universities and its impact during the first construction cycle of the “Double First-Class” initiative (2016–2020). We collected international collaborative publications based on the Scopus database and examined the performance of international research collaboration in terms of quantity, impact, collaborative networks, and subject areas using scientometric indicators and social network analysis. We found that international collaboration accounts for only a quarter of the total output but is far above the overall level of scientific papers in terms of quality and impact. The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong remain China’s closest partners. Meanwhile, ties with Belt and Road partner countries have become stronger with the introduction of foreign policy. China’s medicine and multidisciplinary research have gained prominence in the context of the global health crisis. Thus, international research collaboration effectively improves research performance, deepens academic networks, and disseminates local issues and solutions to the world, thereby enabling China’s world-class universities to reconcile global engagement with Chinese characteristics. (Less)
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author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Sustainability
volume
14
issue
6
article number
3487
pages
17 pages
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85126997702
ISSN
2071-1050
DOI
10.3390/su14063487
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
8a1509fd-5100-48b1-96ca-86d20d411685
date added to LUP
2025-11-14 10:39:52
date last changed
2025-12-04 09:52:02
@article{8a1509fd-5100-48b1-96ca-86d20d411685,
  abstract     = {{This study explored the international research collaboration led by China’s world-class universities and its impact during the first construction cycle of the “Double First-Class” initiative (2016–2020). We collected international collaborative publications based on the Scopus database and examined the performance of international research collaboration in terms of quantity, impact, collaborative networks, and subject areas using scientometric indicators and social network analysis. We found that international collaboration accounts for only a quarter of the total output but is far above the overall level of scientific papers in terms of quality and impact. The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong remain China’s closest partners. Meanwhile, ties with Belt and Road partner countries have become stronger with the introduction of foreign policy. China’s medicine and multidisciplinary research have gained prominence in the context of the global health crisis. Thus, international research collaboration effectively improves research performance, deepens academic networks, and disseminates local issues and solutions to the world, thereby enabling China’s world-class universities to reconcile global engagement with Chinese characteristics.}},
  author       = {{Zhang, Duanhong and Ding, Wenjia and Wang, Yang and Liu, Siwen}},
  issn         = {{2071-1050}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{6}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Sustainability}},
  title        = {{Exploring the role of international research collaboration in building China’s world-class universities}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14063487}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/su14063487}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}