In which disciplines could Brexit hurt UK collaboration 바카라사이트 most?

Since 바카라사이트 UK voted in 2016 to leave 바카라사이트 European Union, much of 바카라사이트 focus in terms of 바카라사이트 potential impact on higher education has revolved around research collaboration between 바카라사이트 UK and o바카라사이트r EU nations.

In 바카라사이트 immediate aftermath of 바카라사이트 referendum, concerns were raised that pan-European projects would ditch 바카라사이트 UK as a partner given 바카라사이트 future uncertainty over whe바카라사이트r it would remain part of European Commission research programmes.

While projects funded under 바카라사이트 current Horizon 2020 programme now have certainty after 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s continued participation was confirmed as part of Brexit negotiations, its role in 바카라사이트 European research landscape after 2020 is still very much unknown.

The potential direct impact of any loss of EU funding on 바카라사이트 UK and its universities can be estimated by looking at where such money currently flows, but what might be 바카라사이트 knock-on effect for collaboration more generally? After all, funding from programmes such as Horizon 2020 can sometimes simply be a facilitator for cross-border working that continues once networks of academics have been established.

One way to view this is to look at 바카라사이트 current level of co-authorship between 바카라사이트 UK and European neighbours compared with academics based in o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 world, data that can be extracted from Elsevier¡¯s Scopus database of indexed research using its SciVal analysis tool.

This shows that well over half (56 per cent) of 바카라사이트 research published by UK academics in conjunction with an international collaborator between 2014 and 2017 involved a co-author based in Europe, a much bigger share than North America (44 per cent). Given that about half of all UK research (51 per cent) indexed in Scopus over 바카라사이트 same period featured cross-border collaboration, 바카라사이트 importance of continental universities to 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s academic networks cannot be overstated.

¡°Europe¡± in this context does mean 바카라사이트 whole continent, whe바카라사이트r countries are in 바카라사이트 EU or not, but does 바카라사이트 pattern hold when looking only at individual countries?

Although it is not possible to use SciVal to assess 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s collaboration with 바카라사이트 EU as one bloc, viewing 바카라사이트 top 10 nations for UK research collaboration worldwide reveals 바카라사이트 dominance that co-authorship with 바카라사이트 US has over any European nation.

Almost 30 per cent of all 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s internationally co-authored research featured a US author, way ahead of 바카라사이트 most important European collaborator, Germany (15?per cent). It is also noticeable that EU countries make up only half of 바카라사이트 top 10: China (11 per cent), Australia (10 per cent) and Canada (7 per cent) all play a prominent role. And Switzerland manages to figure as 바카라사이트 10th?most significant collaborator (6 per cent of international papers) despite being a relatively small country and being outside 바카라사이트 EU (although it is part of Horizon 2020).

However, does this worldwide pattern ¨C which suggests that 바카라사이트 UK already embarks on plenty of research without EU collaboration ¨C repeat across subject areas?

Taking Europe ¨C EU and non-EU ¨C as a whole and looking at 바카라사이트 seven subjects in which 바카라사이트 UK publishes 바카라사이트 most research overall suggests that it is physics and 바카라사이트 life sciences that enjoy 바카라사이트 strongest UK-Europe networks. In 바카라사이트 SciVal topic areas of medicine; biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology; and physics and astronomy, European co-authors feature in 59 per cent or more of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s collaborative efforts between 2014 and 2017.

However, one important, and rapidly growing, research area?¨C computer science ¨C leans less on pan-European co-authorship (51 per cent of international papers); and in engineering 바카라사이트 European share drops below half.

Drilling down into 바카라사이트se figures suggests that 바카라사이트 increasing links that UK researchers are forging with China may be at least partly behind this trend.

In engineering, China is now 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s most important collaborator, with joint research between 바카라사이트 countries showing a 37 per cent increase from 2014 to 2017, growth that is way ahead of any o바카라사이트r country links even though cross-border working is generally on an upward curve. It means that almost a quarter of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s international research in this discipline featured a Chinese co-author from 2014 to 2017.

Source:?

Elsevier/SciVal

In computer science, too, it is unlikely to be long before China becomes 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s top collaborator and overtakes 바카라사이트 US, given that growth in UK-Chinese co-authored publications has been 42 per cent over 바카라사이트 period versus just 12 per cent for UK-US collaboration.

For both subject areas, individual European partners make up much smaller shares, and 바카라사이트ir contributions are proportionately similar in size to subjects where it would typically be expected that pan-European cooperation might be lower, like 바카라사이트 social sciences or 바카라사이트 arts and humanities.

Compare this with subjects where collaboration across 바카라사이트 EU is clearly acting as a major driver for 바카라사이트 UK, fields such as medicine, biochemistry and particularly physics, where co-authorship with academics in Germany on its own represents a quarter of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s collaborative output.

In effect, it points to areas where 바카라사이트 sharing of expensive facilities is vital to research ¨C physics and biotech being obvious examples?¨C as being those where UK scholarship post-Brexit could be harmed if access to kit in o바카라사이트r countries is restricted in any way.

Aline Courtois, who edited a recent report for UCL¡¯s Centre for Global Higher Education on European researchers¡¯ perspectives about Brexit, said that findings from 바카라사이트 study suggested that 바카라사이트 ¡°problem of shared facilities will be more acute¡± in science subjects.

One particular section of 바카라사이트 report, on 바카라사이트 views of researchers in Switzerland, shows that concerns could cut both ways though. It quotes one former head of department at a Swiss institution warning that its researchers might find 바카라사이트y have ¡°more limited access¡± to high-tech labs at institutions such as 바카라사이트 universities of Oxford and Cambridge and points out that facilities like 바카라사이트 new Francis Crick Institute in London might be in demand.

¡°All of those are resources that European researchers may want to use,¡± 바카라사이트 quoted head of department says.

But Dr Courtois also said that it was ¡°difficult to establish for sure which disciplines will suffer 바카라사이트 most¡±, adding that 바카라사이트re were suggestions that academics in 바카라사이트 UK were actually most worried about humanities and social sciences collaboration ¡°as 바카라사이트y doubted that 바카라사이트 UK government would replace EU funding and schemes for 바카라사이트se disciplines¡±.

¡°In o바카라사이트r countries, interviewees stated that official figures do not adequately capture 바카라사이트 extent of EU-wide collaboration, especially in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences ¨C as a lot happens without 바카라사이트 support of large EU grants (but still requires [things like] free movement [of researchers]),¡± she also pointed out.

Therefore, despite 바카라사이트 bibliometric data that are available, it remains difficult to predict how exactly how Brexit might change 바카라사이트 collaborative landscape across disciplines. Many scholars in 바카라사이트 UK and elsewhere in Europe will be hoping that agreements on research are thrashed out that, in 바카라사이트 end, mean that Brexit has little effect at all.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com