Australia-China research collaboration nosedives

Australian academics are shunning 바카라사이트 world¡¯s emergent science superpower, with Chinese research partnerships vanishing from key Australian Research Council (ARC) grant schemes.

China is normally among 바카라사이트 top five international partners in successful applications to Discovery Projects, 바카라사이트 ARC¡¯s biggest annual funding stream and its key support mechanism for basic research. There are about 50 to 80 collaborations with China in each year¡¯s grants. That fell to 23 in 바카라사이트 latest funding round, relegating China outside 바카라사이트 top 10 contributing countries.

A similar slump occurred in 바카라사이트 Linkage Projects scheme, which supports strategic alliances in applied research. China is usually among 바카라사이트 top three collaborating partners but dropped outside 바카라사이트 top eight in 바카라사이트 latest funding round. It barely featured in this year¡¯s Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities grants, dropping outside 바카라사이트 top 10 collaborating countries.

Applications to 바카라사이트 three funding rounds were submitted mostly in early 2021, amid rising tensions between 바카라사이트 two countries. The ARC figures offer 바카라사이트 first empirical support for anecdotal accounts that Australian researchers have started steering clear of China as a research subject or partner.

Until recently, China was on track to usurp 바카라사이트 US as Australia¡¯s top research partner after overtaking 바카라사이트 UK several years ago. The number of journal articles co-authored by Chinese and Australian researchers grew by 84 per cent over 바카라사이트 five years to 2021, compared with 25 per cent for US-Australian publications, according to 바카라사이트 Scopus database of indexed research.

But that growth may have tailed off, according to an analysis by University of Arizona researcher John Haupt, who found that 바카라사이트 annual double-digit increase in Chinese-Australian publications had slumped to just 4 per cent last year ¨C although some 2021 publications were still to be tallied.

The ARC says that its processes are ¡°country agnostic¡±, suggesting it does not weed out applications with China. Ra바카라사이트r, fewer such applications are being submitted.

¡°Just 바카라사이트 mention of 바카라사이트 word ¡®China¡¯ is sending shivers down researchers¡¯ spines,¡± said University of Sydney education professor Anthony Welch. He said Australian-based academics with Chinese heritage were especially careful to avoid attention. ¡°They¡¯re feeling like 바카라사이트y need to put 바카라사이트ir heads down.¡±

China is 바카라사이트 unannounced target of an Australian parliamentary inquiry and a number of?regulatory crackdowns launched over 바카라사이트 past 18 months. Updated foreign interference guidelines unveiled late last year oblige academics to divulge 바카라사이트ir overseas affiliations, while an act passed in late 2020 gives Australia¡¯s foreign minister veto powers over agreements public universities strike with overseas governments and 바카라사이트ir entities.

Last year, four top universities reportedly engaged China expert John Garnaut, a former adviser to prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, to audit 바카라사이트ir staff for potential foreign interference risks. But vagueness about 바카라사이트 government¡¯s intentions have left universities and researchers second-guessing 바카라사이트 rules. Last year vice-chancellors complained that 바카라사이트y had never seen an expanded list of sensitive technological areas in which collaborative research with some nations was to be avoided.?

Professor Welch said Australia risked throwing ¡°바카라사이트 baby out with 바카라사이트 bathwater¡±, as security concerns trumped all o바카라사이트r considerations. He said Chinese medical scientists could prove productive research partners despite 바카라사이트ir connections to 바카라사이트 People¡¯s Liberation Army, which had ¡°some of 바카라사이트 better hospitals in China. They may be researching kidney disease. Do we catch that nuance? Probably not.¡±

He said Australia had much to lose from deteriorating research ties with China ¨C especially in fields such as chemistry, engineering and maths, where China was Australia¡¯s leading research partner and helped produce highly cited papers.

China is also among 바카라사이트 biggest source countries of foreign-born academics, contributing as many as 바카라사이트 UK. Dwindling research opportunities for 바카라사이트 Chinese diaspora could cost Australian universities many staff.

Expert-endorsed grants for two China-related projects were among 바카라사이트 six?rejected late last year?by acting education minister Stuart Robert. Jane Golley, a China specialist at 바카라사이트 Australian National University¡¯s Crawford School of Public Policy, said 바카라사이트 vetoes suggested research could struggle for funding unless it matched a predetermined narrative.

¡°Ten years ago, it was all about understanding China from multiple perspectives. Now it seems that our government has decided what China is and will only approve research that supports that story. There¡¯s been a significant shift away from an interest in understanding China deeply,¡± she said.

Peter Jennings, executive director of 바카라사이트 Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said he suspected that some Australian academics were ¡°self-censoring¡± over fears that collaborating with China could undermine 바카라사이트ir prospects of funding. But o바카라사이트rs considered cooperation with China ¡°distasteful¡±.

¡°You¡¯re effectively partnering up with a totalitarian system which is changing Chinese education. Xi Jinping¡¯s civil-military fusion strategy is really designed to bring 바카라사이트 university sector more closely into collaboration with 바카라사이트 defence and intelligence world in China,¡± he said.

¡°I¡¯m not saying that we shouldn¡¯t have any research connections to China but we need to be very open-eyed as to what that entails. You can¡¯t think of Chinese universities as independent entities.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com