International scientific collaborative activities and barriers to them in eight societies

Abstract

Scientific research increasingly requires international collaboration among scientists. Less is known, however, about the barriers that impede such collaboration. In this pioneering study, more than 9000 scientists from eight societies -the United States,

Virtual Growing Pains: Initial Lessons Learned from Organizing Virtual Workshops, Summits, Conferences, and Networking Events during a Global Pandemic

“…For many, attending a scientific conference is among one of the highlights of the year, as scientists come together to communicate recent findings, network with potential collaborators and future employers, and reconnect with old friends and colleagues vis‐a‐vis the informal “hallway chats.” Aside from the effort to put together a presentation, poster, or panel talking points, participants invest additional energy to travel long distances, secure funding for travel, lodging, meals, and registration fees, and be proficient in the conference's working language. As a result, participation can favor more privileged scientists (e.g., well‐funded, connected, established) while excluding talented but less privileged scientists who may not have available funds or flexible schedules to overcome barriers such as financial resources, travel time, disabilities (De Picker 2020), dependent care responsibilities (Calisi and A Working Group of Mothers in Science 2018), or visa acquisition (Matthews et al 2020).…”

International Collaboration in the Field of Educational Research: A Delphi Study

“…This suggests the importance of funding, not only for new international collaborations, but for supporting ongoing collaborations, especially in light of the amount of time it can take to establish an effective team (Wöhlert, 2020). In contrast to international funding schemes, generalised suspicion between countries can negatively influence IRC (Matthews, Yang, Lewis, Vaidyanathan, & Gorman, 2020), this being somewhat in line with increased nationalism in various countries. Mitiga-tion of which is, however, intertwined with numerous factors; making it difficult as an area for specific recommendation.…”

“…This may help with raising the profile of conducting IRC, given the lack of recognition provided by some institutions, as identified in this study. Lack of recognition of IRC was also identified in a study on IRC in biology and physics (Matthews et al, 2020), so that the institutional and organisational culture could also be one area to target in order to contribute to more IRC. Equally, respondents in Matthews et al (2020) study stated that bureaucratic processes were complex in their institutions, which leads to the suggestion of establishing workflows and administrative practice in a way that is supportive to IRC.…”

“…Lack of recognition of IRC was also identified in a study on IRC in biology and physics (Matthews et al, 2020), so that the institutional and organisational culture could also be one area to target in order to contribute to more IRC. Equally, respondents in Matthews et al (2020) study stated that bureaucratic processes were complex in their institutions, which leads to the suggestion of establishing workflows and administrative practice in a way that is supportive to IRC. Thus, if an institution is interested in fostering IRC, devising institutional policies for IRC and international research can be a means to this end; however, also attending to the implications that this might entail (Englander & Uzuner-Smith, 2013).…”

Book review

“…Companies and countries need to prioritize investment in innovation, research and technology, translate research outputs into the economy to increase leadership and competitiveness and increase the free circulation of knowledge, researchers and technology in the European Union (European Commission, 2021a, 2021b) and other regions (Asia, Latin America, Gulf Countries, etc.) (Matthews et al , 2020; Wagner, 2018; Wagner and Leydesdorff, 2005) as well as create and develop strategic intellectual capital (Lytras and Ordóñez de Pablos, 2008; Ordóñez de Pablos, 2004, 2005). Relevant stakeholders need to increase collaboration nationally and across borders, and work on digital solutions (Bhattacharyya, 2021; Brunswicker et al , 2017; De Wit-de Vries et al , 2019; Moazzez, 2020; Teece, 2018) that support the transition to circular and green economies and benefit citizens, economies and societies (Ordóñez de Pablos and Edvinsson, 2020).…”