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Scientific collaboration amid geopolitical tensions: a comparison of Sweden and Australia

Shih, Tommy LU ; Chubb, Andrew and Cooney-O'Donoghue, Diarmuid (2023) In Higher Education
Abstract
Significant collaborations with research partners in China are seen in many Western countries. With increasing US-China geopolitical tensions, governments, research institutions, and individuals in established scientific systems are increasingly required to address a proliferating array of risks and challenges associated with collaboration with China. Academic researchers are only beginning to describe how countries are responding to the ongoing need for global scientific collaboration amidst intensifying geopolitical competition. Several studies have examined the securitization of scientific connections with China in the USA, while others have documented developments in nations such as Australia, the UK, and Sweden. However, there is... (More)
Significant collaborations with research partners in China are seen in many Western countries. With increasing US-China geopolitical tensions, governments, research institutions, and individuals in established scientific systems are increasingly required to address a proliferating array of risks and challenges associated with collaboration with China. Academic researchers are only beginning to describe how countries are responding to the ongoing need for global scientific collaboration amidst intensifying geopolitical competition. Several studies have examined the securitization of scientific connections with China in the USA, while others have documented developments in nations such as Australia, the UK, and Sweden. However, there is limited comparative research on approaches to international science amid geopolitical tensions. This paper bridges the gap, illuminating the key dimensions of variation in country-level responses by comparing the cases of Sweden and Australia. The questions we ask are as follows: Who responds to the challenges? By what means? And to what ends are responses directed? Swedish government have been largely passive, but Swedish funding agencies have developed “responsible internationalisation” guidelines that aim to induce proactive reflection by institutions and individual researchers. Australia’s approach, by contrast, has centred on legislation, the exercise of ministerial powers, along with sector-wide enactment of expanded due diligence protocols. The comparison highlights key differences in the actors, methods and goals of responses to the intensifying geopolitics of scientific collaboration. (Less)
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publication status
epub
subject
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Higher Education
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85162267309
ISSN
1573-174X
DOI
10.1007/s10734-023-01066-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c5f1876f-3b65-47b9-b1d2-873aa000a983
date added to LUP
2023-06-03 10:06:56
date last changed
2023-10-30 10:44:43
@article{c5f1876f-3b65-47b9-b1d2-873aa000a983,
  abstract     = {{Significant collaborations with research partners in China are seen in many Western countries. With increasing US-China geopolitical tensions, governments, research institutions, and individuals in established scientific systems are increasingly required to address a proliferating array of risks and challenges associated with collaboration with China. Academic researchers are only beginning to describe how countries are responding to the ongoing need for global scientific collaboration amidst intensifying geopolitical competition. Several studies have examined the securitization of scientific connections with China in the USA, while others have documented developments in nations such as Australia, the UK, and Sweden. However, there is limited comparative research on approaches to international science amid geopolitical tensions. This paper bridges the gap, illuminating the key dimensions of variation in country-level responses by comparing the cases of Sweden and Australia. The questions we ask are as follows: Who responds to the challenges? By what means? And to what ends are responses directed? Swedish government have been largely passive, but Swedish funding agencies have developed “responsible internationalisation” guidelines that aim to induce proactive reflection by institutions and individual researchers. Australia’s approach, by contrast, has centred on legislation, the exercise of ministerial powers, along with sector-wide enactment of expanded due diligence protocols. The comparison highlights key differences in the actors, methods and goals of responses to the intensifying geopolitics of scientific collaboration.}},
  author       = {{Shih, Tommy and Chubb, Andrew and Cooney-O'Donoghue, Diarmuid}},
  issn         = {{1573-174X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Higher Education}},
  title        = {{Scientific collaboration amid geopolitical tensions: a comparison of Sweden and Australia}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01066-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10734-023-01066-0}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}