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Collaborations among scientific researchers working in the United States (U.S.), The People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of China (ROC), and the Republic of Singapore (Singapore) over the past half century have, in many cases, been hindered by uneven and sometimes poor relations between governments and inconsistencies in policies, standards, and practices. Even for commerce-oriented science and technology areas, researchers have encountered excessive or poorly-coordinated regulations and practices. As the American and Chinese economies and societies continue to integrate under globalization, policymakers and researchers alike need to examine ways to enhance cooperation in the context of competing cultural perceptions, business practices, economic strategies, and customs of the regions.

While each of the four societies have a self-interest in improving cooperation in science, engineering, and medical research, a number of policy issues prove problematic. Difficulty in obtaining visas to attend science conferences, the framing of benign projects as security sensitive, and even the decentralized research structure in the US can hinder international collaboration. Successful research and the advancement of science and technology in any region of the world, depends on effective free and open communication and cooperation among experts with specialized knowledge. By restricting collaboration, governments inhibit, often unintentionally, research that is integral to the resolution of many of the most pressing political, economic, and health challenges of our time. This project aims to supply governments with better information and policy tools for managing and encouraging cooperation among international researchers.

Cooperation between researchers working in the US and their counterparts in the Chinese communities of the PRC, ROC, and Singapore is particularly important for these economically-dynamic and knowledge-intensive societies. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the four economies included in this proposal comprise approximately half of the world’s research and development (R&D) expenditures. The US, ROC, and Singapore—as industrial societies—prioritized scientific research by investing 2.25 to 2.68 percent of their national GDP to R&D in 2004. Scientific research also remains a key component of the PRC’s plan to transition from an agrarian to an industrial society, with R&D representing 1.34 percent of their GDP in 2005 and the goal of increasing to 2.5 percent in the next few decades.

In this context, central/federal and local/state governments, corporations, and public and privately owned universities in the US, PRC, ROC, and Singapore are supporting a rapidly growing community of scientists who live and work in highly complex work spaces. To better understand the future of scientific research in general—and the role that governments, industry, and universities might play to develop it—we need to understand how the competing workplaces, attitudes, and customs of American and Chinese scientists may influence the efficacy or failure of policies aimed at enhancing cooperation.

This project is unique in focus. Previous projects have centered more broadly on the relationships between the US and PRC. We believe that to improve international collaborations with Chinese societies, it is best to address all three of these R&D- focused Asian economies, because of the variation in their research climates, agendas, and structures. By narrowing our focus to research collaboration between the US and these particular Chinese societies, we believe we will better identify and address barriers to effective scientific cooperation.

 

Please contact Kirstin Matthews for questions, problems or comments about this web site