International research collaboration in turbulent times

This event is part of the School of Education's . These seminars are free and open to the public.

Hosted by the Centre for Higher Education Transformations (CHET)

Speaker: Kieron Flanagan (Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, The University of Manchester)

International collaboration and mobility are key features of scientific knowledge production, and the ideal of science as a universalist, open and collaborative enterprise long predates the current intensity of international collaboration.

Mobility and collaboration motivated by the desire to access tacit knowledge have also always been a part of science and technology, but controls on the spread of knowledge (such as export controls) have a long history. And alongside the ideal of science as a universal enterprise operate a range of 'counter-norms’ (around the race for priority, recognition and reward) that drive secrecy and competition in science.

In any case, since the rise of public funding, science has overwhelmingly been organized and funded on a national level for (techno-)nationalistic reasons. So there have always been tensions between secrecy and openness, nationalism and internationalism in science. However, current geopolitical turbulence is reframing national science policy to re-emphasise its techno-nationalist rationale, with concerns about 'knowledge leakage’ from the public research base, intentional espionage and foreign interference in research agendas, leading to new ‘research security’ initiatives in many countries, including the UK and EU member states.

This talk will explore the emergence of these new initiatives in the UK and selected EU member states, looking at how these challenges are framed as either security or ethical concerns, and at the practical challenges universities and public research organisations are grappling with in operationalising research security.

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Bio:

Kieron is Professor of Science and Technology Policy at the University of Manchester and a member of the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, a group of interdisciplinary researchers working at the intersection of science and technology policy, innovation studies and innovation management. He has worked on national science policies and international research collaboration for two decades.

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Host or Publisher School of Education, University of Bristol