Both parties agree that cooperation can help address key challenges

Japan and the EU have reaffirmed their commitment to collaboration on research and innovation at a recent meeting in Brussels.

Both parties see benefits from collaboration on talent mobility, secure supply chains and tackling global challenges, such as climate change and digital transition.

The Joint Scientific and Technological Cooperation Committee exchanged notes on key scientific policies and programmes, with Japan’s ascension to the EUs research funding programme in view.

On 18 December, the European commission said the parties “underlined that in the very worrying geopolitical context, a comprehensive strategic approach to an open and evolutional research ecosystem based on trust is important”.

Both sides highlighted their cooperation under the G7 group of leading global economies, on issues such as open science, research ethics and integrity and gender equality.

They agreed to intensify multilateral collaboration and to “enhance a dialogue between the two sides on science diplomacy in view of finding common ground for cooperation”.

The Joint Scientific and Technological Cooperation Committee will meet again in Tokyo in 2025. In the meanwhile, Japan’s negotiations around Horizon association are ongoing.

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Agreements include commitment to accelerating development of safe and responsible artificial intelligence

The UK and South Korea have signed a series of science and technology deals.

The agreements are part of a wider accord being announced this week during a state visit to the UK by South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol.  

UK science secretary Michelle Donelan signed a series of agreements on 22 November with South Korean trade, industry and energy minister Bang Moon-kyu and science minister Lee Jong-ho at the Royal Society.

The two sides updated an existing agreement from 1985 on science and technology cooperation. The rebooted deal will “modernise the two countries’ science and tech partnerships for the 21st century”, the UK government said.

The countries have also committed to accelerating cooperation on the development of safe and responsible artificial intelligence, and they have agreed a framework for closer ties on semiconductors, including boosting cooperation on skills and R&D.

Another deal was signed on space cooperation, as well as a commitment on engineering biology.

The Royal Society and the National Research Foundation of Korea announced that they are investing up to £4.5 million in new awards for emerging UK and South Korean research leaders to develop collaborative partnerships, and the funder Innovate UK has committed to investing over £8 million from the next financial year into joint programmes with South Korea.

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Ethiopia-based facility to expand pathogen research and epidemiology in Africa

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention officially opened its China-funded biosafety laboratory in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on 10 November.

The state-of-the-art laboratory was unveiled during a visit by Shen Hongbing, director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Hu Changchun, head of the China Mission to the African Union.

The lab has been named after Wu Lien-teh, a Chinese scientist and a doctor, and is expected to strengthen African diagnostics, workforce development and outbreak response. It will house tools for testing for antimicrobial resistance, as well as biobanking capabilities and genomic sequencing equipment, among other things.

The new lab will serve as a training and quality-assurance centre and provide support for the evaluation and validation of diagnostic technologies and tools, facilitate research and development, and work closely with AU member states’ national laboratories, the Africa CDC said in a statement.

Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC, welcomed his counterpart from China’s support in advancing public health in Africa. “[The lab] represents a key milestone in our vision to transform Africa CDC into a world-class, agile and self-sustaining organisation,” he said.

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More of the world’s most referenced researchers are now based in mainland China

More of the world’s Highly Cited Researchers are now based in mainland China, with the country having more than doubled its share in the past five years, according to analytics company Clarivate*.

While US institutions remain top of the pile in terms of the proportion of these top researchers, China has continued to close the gap, according to an annual listing of the world’s most cited researchers, published on 15 November.

This year, 37.5 per cent of the 6,849 Highly Cited Researchers listed were at US institutions, down from 43.3 per cent in 2018. The number associated with institutions in mainland China was 17.9 per cent, up from 7.9 per cent five years ago.

China’s rise mirrors its growth in other metrics of research power, including total papers produced and overall R&D spending.

Top ranking

In total, the 2023 list identifies 6,849 Highly Cited Researchers, picked using data on 188,500 papers published between 2012 to 2022.

The 2023 ranking places the UK third, with 8.1 per cent of the most cited researchers, followed by Germany (4.7 per cent), Australia (4.5 per cent), Canada (3.1 per cent) and the Netherlands (2.7 per cent).

David Pendlebury, head of research analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate, acknowledged concerns around gaming of citations, saying, “We have evolved our evaluation and selection policies…to address the challenges of an increasingly complex and polluted scholarly record.”

Clarivate said it had attempted to weed out “anomalies” such as excessive self-citation and game-playing in group citation.

* Research Professional News is an editorially independent part of Clarivate.

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Germany and Japan buck trends as 2022 sets record for number of applications

A “record number” of patents were filed across the globe last year, although some traditional patent-powers bucked the trend, the World Intellectual Property Organization has said.

Notably, while China, the US and Korea saw increases, Japan and Germany faltered.

Last year was the third consecutive year there was growth in patent applications globally, with 3.46 million filings in 2022, Wipo said on 6 November. 

But Daren Tang, director-general of Wipo, warned the “geopolitical instability and an uncertain economic outlook could [start to] weigh on the global intellectual property ecosystem”.

China filed 1.58 million applications last year, ahead of the US (505,539), Japan (405,361) and the Republic of Korea (272,315). This meant China saw increases of 3.1 per cent, Korea 1.9 per cent and the US 1.1  per cent, between 2021 and 2022.

But Japan saw a 1.6 per cent drop and German applications fell 4.8 per cent. Germany’s decline stood in contrast to other European countries, where “strong growth in filings abroad” saw a rise for Switzerland of 6.1 per cent and 2.5 per cent rises in Austria and the UK.

Developing situations

“Uncertainty continues to weigh on the global innovation ecosystem, with venture capital funding dropping in many parts of the world,” said Tang.  

He called on investors to “pursue quality but not at the expense of supporting good ideas that can change the world for the better”.

China continued to file about half of the globe’s applications, although its 3.1 per cent rise last year was less than the 6.8 per cent seen in 2021. This was the second year the country’s growth rate dipped. 

Developing countries had been “increasingly engines of intellectual property, showing the greatest growth rates as they harness the innovation and creative potential of their people”, he added. The largest increase in patent applications was in India, which filled 31.6 per cent more in 2022 than 2021.

Computer technology accounted for most of the published patent applications in the world in 2021, the latest year there is complete data on areas of patenting. It accounted for 11.1 per cent of the patents in 2021, followed by electrical machinery (6.4 per cent), measurement (5.8 per cent), medical technology (5.2 per cent) and digital communication (4.9 per cent).

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Solar-panel recycling and nuclear fusion among joint R&D programmes given green light

French and Singaporean ministers have signed eight agreements for joint R&D programmes in areas including quantum computing, women’s health and nuclear fusion.

The deals were struck on 23 October at the third meeting of the France-Singapore Joint Committee for Science and Innovation (Cosimix), which was set up in 2019.

Two of the programmes will involve the CEA, France’s public research organisation for energy, defence and technology, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

The first of these builds on work done by NTU with the CEA’s Saclay Institute of Matter and Radiation (Iramis) on the recycling of electronic waste.

This programme has been awarded 17 million Singaporean dollars (€11.7m) by the Singapore government to develop recycling methods for photovoltaic cells used in solar panels, lithium batteries and circuit boards.

Following the Cosimix meeting, the CEA and NTU will also work together as part of the Singapore Alliance with France for Fusion Energy (Safe). As part of that deal, NTU will work on artificial intelligence possibilities in future nuclear fusion reactors.

University partnerships

NTU also signed three agreements with PSL University in physics and quantum computing, as well as for the creation of a joint doctoral school.

Other deals between the two countries included two projects involving Paris Cité University and the National University of Singapore: one focusing on women’s health and one furthering joint academic programmes.

At the meeting, Heng Swee Keat, deputy prime minister of Singapore, said: “Singapore is delighted to have a partner like France, which shares our belief that science must be global, so that it can improve the lives of people and communities around the world.”

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At high-level talks in Beijing, Commission stresses “respect of universal human rights” in artificial intelligence

High-level talks between the EU and China have included the development of research and innovation links between the two powers.

The technology-focused talks between senior leaders took place in Beijing yesterday and were chaired by Věra Jourová, the European Commission vice-president for values and transparency, and Zhang Guoqing, vice-premier of China.

Jourová said there had been a “frank discussion with China on crucial aspects of our digital policies and technology”, and that the EU wants to “cooperate where we can make substantial progress”.

Alongside research and innovation, the talks covered EU data regulation, artificial intelligence and the cross-border flow of industrial data, among other topics.

The EU and China are currently developing a joint roadmap for cooperation in science, technology and innovation.

Since the last time EU-China talks on digital policies were held in September 2020, the EU has introduced new regulation through the Digital Services Act, which aims to protect the rights of individuals. It is also developing regulation on AI.

AI and human rights

The Commission said that in an exchange of views with China on AI, it “stressed the importance of an ethical use of this technology in full respect of universal human rights”.

China has come under intense scrutiny over its treatment of Uyghur minorities, among other human rights concerns, and fears have been raised over how the country could deploy its technological prowess in AI.

The Commission also said it “urged the Chinese authorities to ensure a fair, reciprocity-based business environment in the digital field” and “conveyed its concern about the difficulties faced by EU companies in China to make use of their industrial data”.

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National Science Foundation signs R&D collaboration deal with India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

The head of the National Science Foundation, Sethuraman Panchanathan, has travelled to India to boost US R&D ties with the enormously populous South Asian country.

NSF announced on 31 August that Panchanathan had signed an ‘implementation arrangement’ with representatives of the Indian government for increased cooperation with India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Biotechnology.

The agreement on bilateral funding “strengthens the foundation of cooperation, collaboration and joint investment in science and engineering by unlocking fantastic new discoveries, innovations and opportunities across industries like semiconductor[s], next-generation communication systems, cybersecurity, sustainability and green technologies, and intelligent transportation systems,” he said.

Panchanathan also participated in a meeting with industry before travelling to lead the US delegation at the G20 Chief Science Advisers’ Roundtable in Gandhinagar. This latter meeting brought together scientific leaders from G20 members and guest countries to discuss topics including disease prevention as well as diversity, equity and inclusion.

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Agreement will boost joint research projects, exchanges and virtual research institutes

South Africa and China have agreed to enhance their cooperation in science, technology and innovation.

The partnership was solidified during Chinese president Xi Jinping’s state visit to South Africa last week, coinciding with the 15th Brics Summit, where leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa convened.

Science and technology were among several focus areas that led to agreements being signed after South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, met Xi in Johannesburg on 22 August.

The agreement, signed by South Africa’s science minister Blade Nzimande and a representative from China’s science ministry, provides a framework “to improve the strategic coordination” between Nzimande’s department and its Chinese counterpart.

This framework will look after the two countries’ existing science collaboration mechanisms. These include the South Africa-China Joint Research Programme, which funds approximately 15 research projects every year, as well as bilateral young scientist exchanges and the virtual research institutes.

The pair also collaborate on the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope, part of which is being constructed in South Africa.

Pan-African support

During his visit to South Africa, China’s Xi also vowed to strengthen his nation’s education and innovation support across all of Africa.

In a speech delivered on 24 August at the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue held after the Brics Summit, Xi said China and Africa needed to work together to promote a just new world order.

Noting that African nations are pushing for modernisation, Xi said Africa knows best what kind of modernisation it seeks. However, he added, China will support Africa’s industrialisation and agricultural modernisation, and help train Africans.

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Global praise for lunar landing as India’s leader calls for researchers to build on achievement

The prime minister of India has dedicated his country’s successful moon landing to “all of humanity” and urged scientists to build on the achievement in future lunar projects.

On 23 August, India became only the fourth nation to make a soft landing on the moon, when its Chandrayaan-3 mission touched down near the moon’s south pole. China, the former Soviet Union and the United States are the other three nations to have made a controlled lunar landing.

“This success belongs to all of humanity and it will help moon missions by other countries in the future,” Modi said in a speech immediately after the probe made touch-down. “I am confident that all countries in the world, including those from the global south, are capable of capturing success. We can all aspire to the moon and beyond.”

Elsewhere, Modi said India’s successful moon mission “is not just India’s alone”.

“Our approach of one Earth, one family, one future is resonating across the globe,” he said. “This human-centric approach that we present has been welcomed universally. Our moon mission is also based on the same essential approach.”

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Nasa administrator Bill Nelson offered his congratulations to the Indian Space Research Organisation. “We’re glad to be your partner on this mission!” he wrote.

Josef Aschbacher, the European Space Agency’s director general, said the landing was “historic”.

“ESA had a supporting role in this historic moment and for this, all Europeans should be proud,” he said. “But we can’t stop here: we must take the next big step for Europe and become protagonists in future moon exploration for the benefit, both economic and scientific, of Europeans for generations to come.’ 

The UK Space Agency said the successful landing was “history made”.

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US, Japan and EU space agencies’ mission will study hottest and largest objects in universe

Researchers from Europe, Japan and the US are hopeful that a spacecraft designed to help them examine X-rays from distant parts of the universe will leave Earth this weekend.

The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (Xrism), is scheduled to launch 26 August from Japan on an H-IIA rocket. Designed to study cosmic X-rays, the project is a collaboration between Japan’s Jaxa and US space agency Nasa, with involvement from the European Space Agency—which contributed advice and hardware.

Celestial seeing

The spacecraft, expected to function for at least three years, will capture data on X-rays emitted from gases and celestial bodies, probing the hottest and largest objects in existence.

Equipped with instruments for measuring images, temperature and dynamics of X-ray emitting sources and surroundings, the mission will try to answer questions including how galaxies are shaped by measuring X-rays from black holes at the centre of some galaxies.

European links

Esa is already running an X-ray mission, XMM-Newton, and plans another—Athena—for the late 2030s, with Xrism set to be a placeholder.

“Xrism will be a valuable bridge between Esa’s other X-ray missions,” said Matteo Guainazzi, a project scientist.

Esa will be allocated 8 per cent of available observing time, which will allow scientists in Europe to propose what the instrument should examine. Scientists in Europe’s astronomy community have already been involved in setting out scientific goals and choosing test objects for checking spacecraft performance.

“X-ray astronomy enables us to study the most energetic phenomena in the universe,” said Guainazzi. “It holds the key to answering important questions in modern astrophysics.”

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Intelligence committee slams government for not protecting UK research from threats posed by China

A parliamentary report on security threats from China has said universities are a “rich feeding ground” for the country to achieve influence in the UK.

Fears over research security have been increasing in recent years, often centred on links with China.

On 13 July, MPs and peers on the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament released a report criticising the government’s slow response to the issue.

The committee said China “often acts in plain sight” in seeking economic advantage via links with UK academia, “directing, funding and collaborating on academic research for its own ends”, particularly through so-called dual-use research, which has both civilian and military applications.

‘UK handing China economic advantage’

The parliamentarians warned that the government still appears to be trying to understand the threat and “there is still no comprehensive list of the areas of sensitive UK research which need protecting”, which they said should be a priority so universities can take action.

“Unless and until this is done then the UK is handing China a clear economic advantage over the UK,” they said.

In March, the science minister George Freeman said he had received a detailed assessment of research links with China from the national funding agency UK Research and Innovation.

In 2021 the government also set up an advisory body to help UK researchers protect their work from threats while collaborating with international partners.

‘Universities turning blind eye’

In their report, the MPs also said universities themselves are not “sufficiently alive” to security threats from China, with many accepting funding conditions that require data and intellectual property to be transferred to foreign collaborators.

“While some have expressed concern, others seem to be turning a blind eye, happy simply to take the money,” the parliamentarians said.

Nonetheless, the report claims that warnings from academia to government have gone unheeded. It suggests that there is not enough coordination within government in responding to threats from China to UK R&D.

“In the meantime China is on hand to collect—and exploit—the achievements of the UK’s best and brightest, as the UK knowingly lets this fall between the cracks,” the parliamentarians said in the report.

The government has been approached for comment.

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Nations sign memoranda of understanding on emerging technologies and data cooperation

The UK and Singapore governments have agreed to deepening research collaboration on emerging technologies and data cooperation.

On 28 June, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Singapore’s minister for communications and information, Josephine Teo, on behalf of the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

They include an agreement on emerging technologies aimed at promoting AI and telecommunications partnerships, and a deal on data cooperation to improve the use and regulation of data.

Dowden said the agreements would help cement the UK and Singapore’s positions as “global leaders in technology” and “further boost our already growing mutual trade and investment”.

“Emerging technologies like AI present challenges and opportunities for all countries. But by cooperating on research, regulation and our experience of how we use them in government, we can deliver better and more efficient public services,” he said.

Teo said the “speed, enthusiasm and rigour of our collaboration is testament to the strategic alignment between our countries on many issues related to the digital economy and emerging technologies including AI, future communications and data flows”.

“Through these new, pathfinding MoUs, we will also develop concrete bilateral initiatives that can bring tangible benefits for our businesses and people.”

The agreements follow the UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement signed in February 2022, and the 2020 UK-Singapore Trade Agreement.

Under the MoU on emerging technologies, the UK and Singapore have committed to:

• Sharing both countries’ experiences of building new telecommunications infrastructure, such as 5G networks, to improve connectivity.
• Promoting more AI business partnerships.
• Identifying ‘trustworthy’ use of AI, which can be replicated.
• Aligning technical standards for the use of AI.
• New research between the NHS in the UK and Singapore’s National AI Office to understand how AI can improve health services and support for patients.

The MoU on data cooperation commits both nations to:

• Increasing digital trade between the countries and learning from each other on how the use of data is improving public services and government efficiency.
• Establishing a strategic intergovernmental dialogue to discuss domestic data regulation, protection and international transfer of data.
• Sharing research and experimentation on how using data can deliver better public services and economic growth.
• Working to a new set of standards on publishing anonymised government datasets to improve global cooperation.
• Sharing best practice on data management in government and between government and business.

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Association of American Universities says institutes could be part of broader collaboration

The US and Indian governments should set up joint research institutes focused on specific scientific and societal challenges, according to a dedicated taskforce of the Association of American Universities.

A select group of Indian and US universities could establish the ‘Indo-US global challenge institutes’ to deepen scientific cooperation and research collaboration between the two nations, the AAU suggested in a report published last week.

The interim report of the Task Force on Expanding US-India University Partnerships was based on work over the past three months and was timed to coincide with a state visit to the US of India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi (pictured).

The AAU said its recommendations “are to be viewed as a starting point…They are intended to provoke a thoughtful and much-needed dialogue between universities and university leaders in both countries, as well as their respective governments and other important stakeholders”.

Institutes and their context

India has a growing population and economy, and it shares “certain fundamental values and ideals” with the US, the report said. These include commitments to academic freedom and excellence, as well as democracy and human rights.

India’s leaders have also recently paved the way for increased research cooperation, it said, and have committed to new investments in research. For its part, the US Congress “has demonstrated an understanding of the importance of…investing in scientific research”.

“Leading research universities in the United States and India share a deep commitment to strengthening meaningful, high-impact and co-designed research partnerships,” the report said. “Establishing and scaling up bilateral academic cooperation is critical to our shared security and geopolitical, commercial and economic future.”

Specific suggestions for joint research institutes included that they could be set up to cover areas “of vital interest to both nations”, such as semiconductors, food security, the environment, health and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

The governments of the two countries should each issue funding calls to create the institutes, using a “significant seed fund” to provide “anchor” budgets.

“Each institute would serve as a locus within a hub-and-spoke research network,” the AAU said. “The institutes would sponsor a series of workshops in critical areas ripe for bilateral research cooperation, and faculty across multiple disciplines would convene to design and develop joint research projects.”

Broader approach

The AAU said its idea for the joint research institutes would “serve as a critical backdrop to other streams of effort, including increased student mobility…expanded opportunities for bi-national internships and apprenticeships, and accelerated knowledge transfer from lab to marketplace”.

AAU president Barbara Snyder said: “This interim report is a key first step in better leveraging the immense potential and resources of India and the US to further scientific advancement, economic growth and national security for both countries.”

Co-chairs on the taskforce include Neeli Bendapudi, president of Penn State University; Robert Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Campaign; and Pradeep Khosla, chancellor of the University of California San Diego. The taskforce is expected to release a full report with practical recommendations later this year.

Modi met with US president Joe Biden during his visit, as well as first lady Jill Biden, who spoke alongside Modi at an event at the National Science Foundation. She said: “Education is a cornerstone of the bond between India and the United States…our universities are partnering together, leading research, and creating apprenticeships and internships that span the ocean.”

A version of this article appeared in Research Europe

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Universities warn blanket ban on telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE would be “over the top”

The European Commission intends to assess the risks of allowing two Chinese telecommunications companies to participate in EU-funded research and innovation projects, Research Professional News can reveal, following an announcement earlier this month that it was concerned about possible security threats.

On 15 June, the Commission said it would “take measures to avoid exposure of its corporate communications to mobile networks using Huawei and ZTE as suppliers”, adding that it “intends to reflect this decision in all relevant EU funding programmes and instruments”.

Some media reported that this meant the companies would be blocked from receiving EU R&I funding. But the Commission told Research Professional News that this decision was yet to be made.

On 27 June, a spokesperson said the Commission “will now take into account the assessment of the risks posed by Huawei and ZTE for a final decision on the involvement of these entities in the EU programmes”.

Companies decry stance

Responding to the initial announcement, Huawei said it “strongly opposes and disagrees with” the Commission stance, which was “clearly not based on a verified, transparent, objective and technical assessment”.

The company added that “restrictions or exclusions based on discriminatory judgments will pose serious economic and social risks [and] hamper innovation”.

ZTE said: “The Commission’s proposed actions are unfortunate and do not appear to be based on any specific articulable concerns. ZTE’s only request is to be treated fairly and objectively by regulators and legislators—just like any other vendor.”

The two companies declined or did not respond to requests to comment on the Commission update regarding R&I funding.

Ongoing projects

According to the Commission spokesperson, data indicate ZTE is not currently involved in any projects funded by the EU’s €95.5 billion 2021-27 R&I programme, Horizon Europe, while Huawei is involved in 13 projects and receiving EU contributions totalling €3.89 million for 11 projects.

The projects Huawei is involved in span a variety of fields. One that involves a France-based Huawei subsidiary is developing technology for data centres. This project’s coordinator, Timo Aalto of the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, said he would follow any EU restrictions, but that “I don’t personally see any security threats in Huawei’s involvement.”

He added: “I have nothing to say until there are more clear instructions from the Commission what this means in practice.”

Following the Commission announcement, Huawei said: “All consortia applications under the Horizon Europe initiative are evaluated independently by different panels of experts selected by the EU.”

General concerns

If the Commission does restrict the companies’ involvement in EU-funded R&I, that move could “definitely impact how universities enter into R&D collaborations and partnerships”, according to Mattias Björnmalm, secretary general of the Cesaer group of science and technology universities.

Björnmalm said he was not aware whether such action had occurred previously in EU R&D programmes, but that it “is important that there is clarity up front on the rules of participation” in them.

Some groups representing higher education institutions have reacted with alarm to the move by the Commission, questioning the logic and legal basis for any broad restrictions on Horizon Europe participation.

“Universities are becoming increasingly good at assessing these risks, so if this is a blanket ban, it seems a little over the top,” said Thomas Jørgensen, director of policy coordination and foresight at the European University Association.

Jørgensen said any potential research collaboration should have its risks assessed on a case-by-case basis. A blanket ban on companies would be “generally not very helpful”, he said.

Kurt Deketelaere, secretary-general of the League of European Research Universities, also questioned the legal basis for such restriction, saying he was not aware of “any precedents”.

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Rand Corporation analysis comes as longstanding partnership agreement approaches expiry date

The potential risks and benefits of US-China collaboration on research need further investigation, according to a think tank.

Relations between the two countries have soured in recent years, as successive US administrations have accused the Chinese government of large-scale misappropriation of American intellectual property, and the Chinese government has countered with denials and its own accusations.

Under Republican former US president Donald Trump, federal agencies massively increased their scrutiny of US-based researchers’ links to China, leading some to fear that his administration was stoking anti-Asian sentiment. This stance has softened under current Democrat president Joe Biden, but since the Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives last year, the party’s representatives have increased the focus on China in House committees.

Now, the Rand Corporation think tank has published a report looking at science and technology flows between the two countries, and indicated that case-by-case assessment is needed for the US to decide whether the benefits of collaborating with China outweigh the risks.

Pros and cons

Research publications produced through US-China collaboration tend to have a higher impact and be more interdisciplinary, political scientist Jon Schmid and researcher Nathaniel Edenfield found.

But such collaborations may present security risks, the authors warned in their report called Scientific and Technological Flows Between the United States and China, which was published on 15 June.

Collaboration between US and Chinese research institutes “does not, in itself, constitute a harm to national security”, they said. But they added: “Bilateral collaborations might present national security risks if knowledge and technology produced in the United States are used by China to modernise its military or otherwise gain competitive advantage.”

Schmid and Edenfield found that fewer than 3 per cent of both US and Chinese researchers moved between a studied sample of universities in the two countries. Researchers who were initially based in the US were more likely to retain an acquired Chinese affiliation than were Chinese researchers to retain an acquired US affiliation, they found, but mobile researchers from both countries were more likely to have a higher impact.

US-based organisations are increasingly co-authoring publications with Chinese organisations that have links to the Chinese military, the researchers noted, adding that some of these papers have been “of direct military relevance”. But they highlighted the extra impact of collaborative publications, particularly in aerospace fields, and suggested that collaboration might also improve bilateral relations more broadly between the two countries in ways that were outside the scope of their research.

More work needed

Establishing the overall effects of US-China collaboration “is not straightforward”, Schmid and Edenfield concluded, adding that their findings were a “starting point” for more research. Further questions that need answering, they said, include whether benefits and risks differ across different types of mobility and collaboration.

The work comes amid reports that the US government is considering scrapping a 40-year-old partnership with China spanning a range of scientific and technical fields. The two countries first signed the Science and Technology Agreement in 1979, and have renewed the deal about every five years since.

The current iteration of the agreement is due to expire on 27 August. But Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of a congressional select committee on China, was quoted by various media outlets as saying that extending the agreement “would only further jeopardise our research and intellectual property…The administration must let this outdated agreement expire.”

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UK’s South Asia minister says partnership will bring “new innovations to both our nations”

UK and India have agreed to deepen collaboration on science and technology.

The announcement came during a five-day visit to the country by Tariq Ahmad, the UK’s minister for the Middle East and South Asia minister.

There he met with a number of senior Indian ministers and officials, including foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and G20 representative Amitabh Kant.

‘Deepening collaboration’

Speaking during Ahmad’s visit, between 27 and 31 May, Ahmad said: “The UK and India are trusted partners united by the unique living bridge that closely connects our countries and people.

“Building on the 2030 Roadmap for India-UK future relations, we are deepening our collaboration on science and technology, bringing new innovations to both our nations.”

In New Delhi, Ahmad will launch the English Skills for youth programme in partnership with the British Council and Microsoft India, which aims to boost employment opportunities for young Indian people, especially women.

He will also announce the winners of the UK-India Health-Tech Bootcamp, where health and startup companies from both countries partner up.

In addition, the minister is planning trips to the technology startup incubator and prototyping facility T-Hub and T-Works and the space launch vehicle company Skyroot in Hyderabad, a major centre for India’s technology industry.

Memorandum of understanding

The announcement comes after science minister George Freeman and Indian minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh signed a memorandum of understanding on research and innovation in April.

Meanwhile, the UK and India are continuing to agree a free trade agreement following several deals with non-EU nations post Brexit.

The UK government said a trade deal with India supported its strategy to “take advantage of the UK’s status as an independent trading nation, creating new trade and investment opportunities and championing free trade”.

Earlier this month UK prime minister Rishi Sunak spoke with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi (pictured) at the G7 Leaders Summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

At that summit, Sunak and Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, agreed to boost science and technology collaboration between the two countries.

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Bloc and country also strengthen ties on semiconductors, climate change and health

Formal talks have started on South Korea joining the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.

Such associate membership, which has been opened for the first time to countries that are not near neighbours of the bloc, would make it easier for the country’s researchers to collaborate with EU counterparts, in exchange for the government providing a budget contribution.

The announcement of the start of formal talks came on 22 May as EU leaders attended a summit in Seoul, at which they agreed closer cooperation on R&I, as well as climate change and health.

“[We] commit to build stronger interaction in science and innovation by boosting collaboration and investment in research and development, as well as mobility of researchers in efforts to address global challenges,” the bloc and country said in a joint statement.

“We agree to support links and joint initiatives between universities and research institutions,” the statement added, referring in particular to the EU’s Erasmus+ academic mobility programme.

“We will get our brilliant minds to work together on the technologies of tomorrow,” said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (pictured with South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol).

Korean R&I muscle

New Zealand is the first country beyond the European neighbourhood to have reached a deal on joining Horizon Europe. Formal talks have also been taking place with Canada and are due to start with Japan.

Securing Korean association to the programme would be a win for the EU, as the east-Asian nation spends more on R&I as a percentage of GDP than any other country except Israel.

According to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, in absolute terms South Korea spent $120 billion on R&I (€111bn) in 2021—not far behind Germany ($153bn), Europe’s biggest absolute spender.

The EU and South Korea also made several other commitments on R&I collaboration, including on disease threats, space and technology development.

Semiconductors, climate and health

The EU is on the cusp of finalising major legislation to boost the bloc’s capacity for semiconductor R&I and production. South Korea is a global leader in semiconductors, which is a crucial export market for the country.

The joint statement said the two “share the objective to strengthen the global competitiveness of semiconductor industries in the EU and Korea” and “commit to conducting collaborative research and development in the field of leading-edge semiconductors”.

In addition, the pair launched a green partnership on climate action, including cooperation on R&I, while the EU’s Health Emergency and Preparedness Response Authority said it would work more closely with the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare on health research and other means to tackle cross-border health threats.

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Nations sign agreement including semiconductor, cybersecurity and renewable-energy programmes

The UK government has announced an agreement with Japan to boost science and technology collaboration between the two countries.

The Hiroshima Accord was agreed between UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and Japan’s PM, Fumio Kishida, on 17 May during a G7 summit in the city.

It includes a series of science and technology commitments, such as a new partnership between Imperial College London, the University of Tokyo and Hitachi to develop a UK-Japan Cleantech Innovation Hub.

The countries are also planning to launch a Semiconductors Partnership aimed at strengthening domestic sectors and increasing supply chain resilience.

Also in the works is a cyber partnership, including a new Japan cybersecurity fellowship to develop “cyber leaders”, and a new renewable-energy partnership to accelerate the deployment of clean energy in both nations.

Sunak said the accord would allow both countries to develop “world-leading science and technology expertise”.

“It marks an exciting next phase in the UK and Japan’s flourishing partnership,” he added.

Renewed deal

The announcement follows the G7 science ministers and technology ministers’ meeting in Sendai, where UK science minister George Freeman and Japanese economy minister Nakatani Shinichi agreed to renew the countries’ science and technology agreement.

The renewed partnership allows both countries to continue to work together on joint R&D programmes, as well as academic and industrial exchange schemes, the government said.

Announcing the deal on 15 May, Freeman said it was “another demonstration of the UK’s ambition to become a truly global science superpower, by deepening collaboration on the science and technology of tomorrow with like-minded nations like Japan, as well as the rest of the G7, to secure our collective future, drive economic growth and improve lives”.

Meanwhile, at a G7 health ministers’ meeting last week, member states including the UK signed an agreement on tackling shared global health challenges, including improving surveillance, data and information sharing, incentivising the development of antibiotics, and investment in dementia research and future treatments.

Commenting after the meeting, health secretary Steve Barclay said the summit was a “vital opportunity” to “commit to action to ensure we’re ready to respond to a possible future pandemic, both at home in the UK and globally with our international partners”.

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Nations sign memorandum of understanding on research in areas such as climate change and AI

An agreement has been reached to enable “quicker and deeper” scientific collaboration between the UK and India.

On 26 April, UK science minister George Freeman and Indian minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh signed a memorandum of understanding on research and innovation, paving the way for a “raft of new joint research schemes” in areas such as climate change, pandemic preparedness, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

“India is rapidly building on its phenomenal software and innovation sectors to become a global powerhouse in science and technology,” said Freeman.

“With our extensive trading and cultural links, shared democratic values and interest in urgent global issues from green technology and agri-tech to biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, we have very strong platforms for deepening research collaboration.

“Today’s agreement is part of our programme of deepening UK collaboration with other global science superpowers on ground-breaking innovation and research, to help tackle shared global challenges. This partnership will grow the sectors, companies and jobs of tomorrow for the benefit of both our countries and the globe.”

Schemes will include the establishment of a UK-India Net Zero Innovation Virtual Centre focusing on decarbonising manufacturing and transport, as well as the launch of the first UK-India scientific deep sea voyage.

The agreement will also see India partnering on the UK’s International Science Partnerships Fund, which will support research into farmed animal diseases and health, as well as a skills partnership programme in AI, machine learning and bio-imaging.

Other plans include:

• Several joint research calls between national funder UK Research and Innovation and the Indian Department for Science and Technology, including programmes on sustainability and solid earth hazards.
• Plans to launch a partnership for decarbonising India’s pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries.
• A programme of university partnerships between the two countries, including one between Aston University and CSIR Dehradun on sustainable biofuels.

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Commission chief underscores importance of defining EU-China relationship, while strengthening EU resilience in key technologies

The president of the European Commission has said that the EU does not want to cut its scientific ties with China, against a backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions.

Speaking at an event in Brussels held by two think tanks on 30 March, Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) described the importance of defining the EU’s future relationship with China, given that “our relations have become more distant and more difficult in the last few years”.

Growing distrust between the US and China has resulted in the US putting up trade barriers and exerting pressure on Europe to do the same.

While saying that the EU needed to adjust its stance on China in light of the country “becoming more repressive at home and more assertive abroad”, von der Leyen also highlighted the importance of continuing to engage with the Asian superpower.

“Our relationship with China is far too important to be put at risk by failing to clearly set the terms of a healthy engagement,” she said at the event held by the Mercator Institute for China Studies and the European Policy Centre.

“The point here is that we do not want to cut economic, societal, political or scientific ties.”

Strengthening EU resilience

But von der Leyen also outlined areas where the EU would look to reduce its reliance on China.

She said China’s “explicit fusion of its military and commercial sectors” poses risks to the EU’s security through dependence on trade and investment, suggesting that China wants to make the rest of the world increasingly dependent on it for emerging technologies such as quantum computing, robotics and artificial intelligence.

In line with this ambition to become more self-reliant, the Commission president said the EU must “look at our own resilience and dependencies” in areas such as health, digital and the clean-tech sector.

“We need to think about this right across our single market to strengthen our resilience on cyber and maritime, space and digital, defence and innovation,” von der Leyen said.

New policy tools

The EU may need to develop “new defensive tools” in some sectors and should “define its future relationship” with China in “sensitive high-tech areas such as microelectronics, quantum computing, robotics, artificial intelligence, biotech” and others, according to von der Leyen.

This extends beyond China, she said, adding that the EU should “look at where there are gaps in our toolbox which allow the leakage of emerging and sensitive technologies through investments in other countries”.

Reacting to the speech, Markus Beyrer, director of the industry association Business Europe, said any new tools that could affect trade or investment flows between the EU and China “need to be carefully assessed and discussed with business”.

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Patent filings from China up 15 per cent while European countries’ share of total shrinks

China has fuelled a new record high number of applications to the European Patent Office, underscoring the country’s growing importance to global innovation.

The EPO grants patents on new inventions to applicants from around the world, to protect their intellectual property in up to 40 European countries.

Last year it received 193,460 applications, which was 2.5 per cent up on 2021 and another in a recent spate of record highs, with the exception of a small dip in 2020.

Patent filings from China were up by 15.1 per cent in 2022 versus 2021, which the EPO said on 28 March “mainly fuelled” the overall rise.

Declining European share

While the number of patent applications from European countries was at the same level as in 2021, their share of the total shrunk by a further percentage point to just below 44 per cent.

“The growing share of applications to the EPO originating from outside Europe highlights the attractiveness of the European technology market for companies from around the world,” the office said.

The top five countries of origin for patent applications were the US, which accounted for a quarter of the total but rose by only 2.9 per cent, followed by Germany, Japan, China and France.

Although still towards the top of the leaderboard, Germany’s patent applications dropped by 4.7 per cent last year. This was largely due to declines in areas such as transport, electrical machinery and energy, and organic fine chemistry, the EPO said.

Applications from most other leading European patent-filing countries were up, including France with an increase of 1.9 per cent, Switzerland with a rise of 5.9 per cent, and the Netherlands with a 3.5 per cent rise.

Energy patenting boom

Certain fields of innovation also drove the new record, in particular those falling under the category of electrical machinery, apparatus and energy, which grew by 18.2 per cent. Within this, applications related to batteries rose by 48 per cent.

“When it comes to the promise of green innovation, there has been solid, sustained growth in filings related to clean technologies and other means that create, transfer and store electricity,” said EPO president António Campinos. “It’s this ongoing boom that is navigating the energy transition.”

Campinos added that there had also been “relentless growth” in patent applications in digital technologies and semiconductors.

Digital communication was the field with the highest number of patent applications, followed by medical technology and computer technology.

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Knowledge sharing between two countries to help research into future fusion power plants

The UK and South Korea have signed a deal to partner in R&D on future fusion power plants.

The partnership, announced on 27 March, will see knowledge sharing, in the form of lectures, seminars and workshops, between the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy.

UKAEA’s chief executive Ian Chapman said his organisation is looking forward to “an evolving partnership [with KFE] driven by a shared quest to make fusion part of the world’s future energy supply.”

The partnership will focus on the remote handling and maintenance of future fusion power plants, with both countries lending their expertise from their respective fusion research facilities: the Joint European Torus and UKAEA’s robotics centre, and the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (Kstar).

“While UKAEA researchers have vast knowledge in developing robot arms for fusion maintenance, KFE researchers bring extensive expertise gained from constructing and operating the Kstar,” said KFE president Suk Jae Yoo.

“The collaboration between the two institutions will create a synergy in developing remote control systems for fusion demonstration machines.”

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Science minister promises to look at organisations “we know to be aggressive” in acquiring IP

The UK government is reviewing all its research and innovation links with China, according to science minister George Freeman.

Speaking in the House of Commons on 8 March, Freeman said he had “literally just received” a detailed assessment of such links from the national funding agency UK Research and Innovation.

Freeman said that along with security minister Tom Tugendhat, he would use the assessment to look at organisations that “we know to be aggressive in their international acquisition of intellectual property”.

The news comes against a backdrop of increasing global concerns over research security, including the threat of intellectual property theft and use of research findings for military purposes.

A similar review of R&D links with Russia last year preceded science sanctions against state-backed collaborations between UK and Russia.

Freeman said the UK was “toughening up our regime” on research security, highlighting the establishment in 2022 of a research collaboration advice team in the Cabinet Office designed to help researchers who engage in international collaboration.

“We do not expect all our researchers to be policemen and women, but we do expect them—and they are now required—to show due diligence before they sign some lucrative research agreement,” Freeman said, adding that the Cabinet Office body had handled 350 queries since its launch.

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Working groups set to discuss clean-tech research and critical industrial components

The EU and India have set up a Trade and Technology Council to “deepen strategic engagement” on topics of joint interest.

On 6 February, the European Commission announced that the council would have three working groups focused on “strategic technologies, digital governance and digital connectivity”, “green and clean energy technologies” and “trade, investment and resilient value chains”.

Meeting for the first time in the coming weeks, the groups will discuss issues such as artificial intelligence and high-performance computing; green technologies “with emphasis on research and innovation”; and access to critical industrial components.

“The EU and India have strengthened their relationship as strategic partners,” the Commission said. It added that the bloc’s partnership with India was “one of the most important relationships for the upcoming decade” and that strengthening it was a priority.

It said cooperation should focus on “key issues of shared strategic importance” and that, in particular, working together on research and innovation was “important to unlock potential”.

The EU-India TTC is the second such forum for the bloc, after a similar council was launched with the United States in 2021. 

EU-India ministerial meetings organised under the council are expected to take place at least once a year, with the first to be held this spring.

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Scheme will “foster strategic cooperation with think tanks and universities on China-related issues”

The European Commission has launched a China fellowship programme to increase its knowledge of the country, which is becoming an increasingly powerful player on the world stage.

The programme “aims to foster strategic cooperation with think tanks and universities on China-related issues…to tap into deep expertise on China from Europe and beyond and expand the knowledge basis on China within the Commission”.

The paid fellowships, which will run for 6 to 12 months, will be open to academics specialising in social science, environmental or digital topics involving China, the Commission announced on 25 January.

Up to 15 fellowships will be offered within each period. A spokesperson said that the call for applications will launch “shortly” and that “Fellows shall be selected solely based on their renown, competence and expertise without regard for nationality or country of origin.”

Knowledge gaps

The fellowships will be established under an in-house advisory service for the Commission president, called Inspire, Debate, Engage and Accelerate Action.

Some projects funded under the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme are also focused on filling perceived information gaps and advising European decision-makers on policies involving China.

The announcement follows warnings from some European institutions of a need to improve knowledge of the country.

The Mercator Institute for China Studies, a think tank in Germany involved in at least one consortium funded by Horizon Europe, said in 2022 that “there is too little knowledge in European countries about contemporary China”, and that “think tanks and research institutions should cooperate more closely”.

Update 26/1 – This article was updated with the comment from the spokesperson.

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Scientists chosen for 2023 collaborations in India also revealed

The Royal Society has made changes to the eligibility criteria for its scheme that funds visiting professorships to India.

For the first time, applications to the Yusuf Hamied Visiting Professorship scheme are open to its senior grant holders. This includes Royal Society Research Professors, Royal Society Wolfson Fellows and University Research Fellows that are five to eight years into their fellowship.

The senior grant holders can apply to the scheme from February 2023.

Also, the Royal Society announced on 17 January the recipients of the most recent round of funding under the scheme, which launched in 2017 through a gift from the charity set up by Indian scientist and chair of pharmaceutical company Cipla Yusuf Hamied and his wife Farida.

“The Fellowship of the Royal Society includes many of the world’s leading scientists. I am delighted that through the Royal Society Yusuf Hamied Visiting Professorships, these celebrated scientists will be able to build long-term collaborations with their counterparts in India, for we must all use our knowledge and expertise for the benefit of society,” said Yusuf Hamied, who is one of the trustees of the Yusuf and Farida Hamied Foundation.

The three scientists are: George Davey Smith from the University of Bristol, who will visit the Public Health Foundation of India, the University of Delhi, Tata Memorial Centre, and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology; Peter Hudson from Penn State University, who will be working at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India; and Semir Zeki from University College London, who will visit Ashoka University and the Indian National Brain Research Centre.

The recipients will make short visits to India which, the Royal Society said, will give them the “opportunity to start or further develop links with Indian research teams, benefiting from each other’s experience and expertise”.

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National Academies make recommendations for how Confucius Institute hosts could receive Department of Defense funds

Universities hosting Chinese Confucius Institutes could become eligible for public defence funding under proposals set out by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

A report published by the National Academies on 10 January gives a series of recommendations for managing the institutes with regards to protecting academic freedom on campus.

It includes proposals for a set of criteria for the US Department of Defense to consider in developing a waiver that would potentially allow higher education institutions with Confucius Institutes to receive funding from the department again.

Laws passed in 2019 and 2021 barred universities that host such institutes from receiving Department of Defense funding, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Concerns around Confucius

Confucius Institutes are satellite campuses often located within existing universities in the US and abroad. They are funded by the Chinese government as part of a global programme to promote Chinese language and culture.

In recent years, there has been concern among academics and politicians around the world over threats to academic freedom stemming from the institutions, and of espionage within them.

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, more than 100 US higher education institutions hosted Confucius Institutes on campus. But security concerns, coupled with changes to national defence funding in 2019, led to many US Confucius Institutes being closed down.

According to the report from the National Academies, there are currently thought to be seven Confucius Institutes attached to US institutions.

“While Confucius Institutes provided a source of funding and other resources that enabled US colleges and universities to build capacity, offer supplemental programming and engage with the local community, [they] presented an added, legitimate source of risk to host institutions with respect to academic freedom, freedom of expression and national security,” the report states.

However, the report’s authors say they are “not aware of any evidence at the unclassified level that Confucius Institutes were associated with espionage or intellectual property theft”.

“While incidents affecting academic freedom, freedom of expression and shared governance did take place, the most egregious of these occurred at Confucius Institutes outside of the US,” they conclude.

Report recommendations

Recommendations made in the report include a provision for the Department of Defense to grant waivers to participating institutions to allow them to access its funding. If the department decides not to grant a waiver to a specific institution, the National Academies said it “should specify the reason(s) for denial to the extent possible at the unclassified level”.

“Outside input is critical to ensure that the waiver application process is free from undue administrative and regulatory burden,” the report continues. “In addition to US government input, the Department of Defense should solicit external input from key organisations, including industry, higher education associations and universities.”

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Joint centre to “engage top scientists from both countries” to enhance research on disease and drugs

The University of Liverpool has hailed a joint research centre in China as a major opportunity to build links between pharmaceutical scientists.

A Joint Centre for Pharmacology and Therapeutics in Suzhou will be run under the auspices of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, a joint-partnership between the UK institution and Xi’an Jiaotong University that was set up in 2006.

According to a University of Liverpool statement earlier this month, the centre “will engage top scientists from both countries to enhance research on disease mechanisms and develop novel drugs for the treatment of modern-day diseases”. 

It said the centre’s R&D activities will involve senior researchers as well as PhDs from both universities and is expected to benefit both regions, as well as patients suffering from a variety of diseases.

Human rights concerns

The announcement comes amid increased scrutiny of UK R&D links with China over national security worries and concerns about human rights.

A University of Liverpool spokesperson told Research Professional News: “The University has a robust set of policies and procedures in relation to due diligence, ethics, governance, and [intellectual property] in line with government policy. 

“This research collaboration, part of a long-standing academic partnership between the University of Liverpool and Xi’an Jiaotong University, will draw on world-leading expertise and facilities in both China and the UK for the benefit of patients in both countries.”

Christopher Goldring, co-director of the centre, said: “With our partners at XJTLU, through teaching and research, we will nurture a talent pipeline of research leaders and exciting international collaborations and ventures.”

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Nearly 7,000 researchers demonstrate “disproportionate level” of influence in their field

Mainland China is closing the gap on the United States as home to the most highly cited researchers in the world, according to data from analytics company Clarivate*.

On 15 November, the 2022 list of the world’s most highly cited researchers was revealed. It named 6,938 academics who have demonstrated a “disproportionate level” of significant influence in their field(s) of research over the past decade.

While the US still comes top, with 2,764 highly cited researchers, Mainland China has doubled its share of the influential researcher population in the past five years, from 8 per cent in 2018 to 16 per cent this year. It now has 1,169 researchers.

The US share amounts to 38 per cent of the total, down from 43 per cent in 2018.

The UK is third on the list, with 579 researchers, which Clarivate described as “remarkably high” for a country of its size, though it was a decrease of its share in 2018. The population of the UK is a fifth of the US and a 20th of Mainland China.

The UK is followed, in order, by Germany, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Singapore.

Harvard University is home to 233 researchers on the list, which has once again made it the institution with the highest concentration of highly cited researchers in the world.

Other institutions in the top five highly cited researchers, in order, are: the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Stanford University, the US National Institutes of Health and Tsinghua University, in China.

Countering researchers attempting to ‘game’ the system

For the 2022 list, Clarivate extended its qualitative analysis to address increasing concerns over potential misconduct including plagiarism, image manipulation and fake peer review.

With the help of the Retraction Watch blog which has a large database of retractions, Clarivate analysts searched for evidence of misconduct in all publications of those on the preliminary list. Researchers who were found to have committed scientific misconduct in formal proceeding were excluded from the list.

“Activities such as unusual citation activity and fake peer review may represent efforts to game the system and create self-generated status,” said David Pendlebury, head of research analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate. “This is why we’ve expanded our qualitative analysis this year to ensure the highly cited researchers list reflects genuine, community-wide research influence.”

*Research Professional News is an editorially independent part of Clarivate.

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