Collaborations: The rise of research networks : Nature : Nature Publishing Group - 0 views
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Co-authorship has been increasing inexorably3, 4. Recently it has exploded.
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Collaboration is normally a good thing from a wider public perspective. Knowledge is better transferred and combined by collaboration, and co-authored papers tend to be cited more frequently
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The first paper with 1,000 authors was published in 2004
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a paper with 3,000 authors came in 2008
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By last year, a total of 120 physics papers had more than 1,000 authors and 44 had more than 3,000
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independent contributions to joint efforts, usually in the form of data, that involve only weak intellectual interaction
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Papers with hundreds of co-authors contribute to the apparent pervasiveness of collaboration between countries.
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Consequently, distinguishing Malta's own science performance is already impossible. This blurring of national distinctiveness could be a growing issue.
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The rapid growth of each nation's research base and regional links, driven by relatively strong economies investing in innovation, will undoubtedly produce a regional research labour force to be reckoned with by 2020
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China's rapid growth since 2000 is leading to closer research collaboration with Japan
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Taiwan
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South Korea
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Australia
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Asia-Pacific region
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India has a growing research network with Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, although it is not as frequent a collaborator with China as one might expect
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Middle East, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have a strong research partnership that is drawing in neighbours including Tunisia and Algeria.
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Latin America has an emerging research network focused around Brazil,
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has doubled its collaboration with Argentina, Chile and Mexico in the past five years
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Africa has three distinct networks: in southern Africa, in French-speaking countries in West Africa and in English-speaking nations in East Africa.
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proximity is just one of several factors in networks
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use paths of least resistance to partnership, rather than routes that might provide other strategic gains
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Commonwealth countries
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have adopted similar research structures
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Students
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proximity
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lower cost of living
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generous government scholarships
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Job opportunities
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countries in science's old guard must drop their patrician tendencies, open up clear communication channels and join in with new alliances as equal participants before they find themselves the supplicants.
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Collaboration between the public and private sectors has become more apparent because of government interest in exploiting research for economic competitiveness. Some data show that industrial investment in research seems to be dropping — perhaps a reaction to the recession, but the trend seems to be long term, at least in the United Kingdom9
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Incentives for collaborative innovation investment that draws directly on the science base would be a good start.
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So what are the costs and benefits of collaboration? It provides access to resources, including funding, facilities and ideas. It will be essential for grand challenges in physics, environment and health to have large, international teams supported by major facilities and rich data, which encourage the rapid spread of knowledge.
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Research networks are a tool of international diplomacy.
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As for costs, collaboration takes time and travel and means a shared agenda
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The risk is that international, national and institutional agendas may become driven by the same bland establishment consensus.
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The iconoclastic, the maverick and the marginal may find a highly collaborative world a difficult place to flourish
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"Co-authorship has been increasing inexorably3, 4. Recently it has exploded."
