tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/international-collaboration-32456/articlesInternational collaboration – The Conversation2023-04-03T20:37:33Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2032142023-04-03T20:37:33Z2023-04-03T20:37:33ZMeet the next four people headed to the Moon – how the diverse crew of Artemis II shows NASA’s plan for the future of space exploration<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519113/original/file-20230403-14-8kpwds.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=80%2C304%2C3950%2C3024&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a flyby of the Moon.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/as11-44-6552.jpeg">NASA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On April 3, 2023, <a href="https://spacenews.com/nasa-announces-crew-for-artemis-2-mission/">NASA announced</a> the four astronauts who will make up the crew of Artemis II, which is scheduled to launch in late 2024. The Artemis II mission will send these four astronauts on a 10-day mission that culminates in a flyby of the Moon. While they won’t head to the surface, they will be the first people to leave Earth’s immediate vicinity and be the first near the Moon in more than 50 years. </p>
<p>This mission will test the technology and equipment that’s necessary for future lunar landings and is a significant step on NASA’s planned journey back to the surface of the Moon. As part of this next era in lunar and space exploration, NASA has outlined a few clear goals. The agency is hoping to <a href="https://www.khou.com/article/tech/science/space/artemis-1-scrubbed-launch/285-480cc9b4-ddbd-40f4-a1c1-192c1effe75d">inspire young people</a> to get interested in space, to make the broader Artemis program more economically and politically sustainable and, finally, to continue encouraging international collaboration on future missions. </p>
<p>From my perspective as a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PxIOz7cAAAAJ&hl=en">space policy expert</a>, the four Artemis II astronauts fully embody these goals.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519114/original/file-20230403-16-y1n19n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Four astronauts in orange space suits with their helmets off." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519114/original/file-20230403-16-y1n19n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519114/original/file-20230403-16-y1n19n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519114/original/file-20230403-16-y1n19n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519114/original/file-20230403-16-y1n19n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519114/original/file-20230403-16-y1n19n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519114/original/file-20230403-16-y1n19n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519114/original/file-20230403-16-y1n19n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Crew members of the Artemis II mission are NASA astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-names-astronauts-to-next-moon-mission-first-crew-under-artemis">NASA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who are the four astronauts?</h2>
<p>The four members of the Artemis II crew are highly experienced, with three of them having flown in space previously. The one rookie flying onboard is notably representing Canada, making this an international mission, as well.</p>
<p>The commander of the mission will be <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/g-reid-wiseman/biography">Reid Wiseman</a>, a naval aviator and test pilot. On his previous mission to the International Space Station, he spent 165 days in space and completed a record of 82 hours of experiments in just one week. Wiseman was also the chief of the U.S. astronaut office from 2020 to 2023.</p>
<p>Serving as pilot is <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-team/">Victor Glover</a>. After flying more than 3,000 hours in more than 40 different aircraft, Glover was selected for the astronaut corps in 2013. He was the pilot for the Crew-1 mission, the first mission that used a SpaceX rocket and capsule to bring astronauts to the International Space Station, and served as a flight engineer on the ISS.</p>
<p>The lone woman on the crew is mission specialist <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biography">Christina Hammock Koch</a>. She has spent 328 days in space, more than any other woman, across the three ISS expeditions. She has also participated in six different spacewalks, including the first three all-women spacewalks. Koch is an engineer by trade, having previously worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.</p>
<p>The crew will be <a href="https://theconversation.com/canadian-astronaut-jeremy-hansen-will-be-among-the-next-humans-to-fly-to-the-moon-201633">rounded out by a Canadian</a>, <a href="https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/canadian/active/bio-jeremy-hansen.asp">Jeremy Hansen</a>. Though a spaceflight rookie, he has participated in space simulations like <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/index.html">NEEMO 19</a>, in which he lived in a facility on the ocean floor to simulate deep space exploration. Before being selected to Canada’s astronaut corps in 2009, he was an F-18 pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force.</p>
<p>These four astronauts have followed pretty typical paths to space. Like the Apollo astronauts, three of them began their careers as military pilots. Two, Wiseman and Glover, were trained test pilots, just as most of the Apollo astronauts were. </p>
<p>Mission specialist Koch, with her engineering expertise, is more typical of modern astronauts. The position of <a href="https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress/Book-Reviews/Display/Article/1869653/come-fly-with-us-nasas-payload-specialist-program/">mission or payload specialist</a> was created for the space shuttle program, making spaceflight possible for those with more scientific backgrounds.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519116/original/file-20230403-22-qw7kfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An artist's impression of a spacecraft flying over the surface of the Moon." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519116/original/file-20230403-22-qw7kfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519116/original/file-20230403-22-qw7kfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1200&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519116/original/file-20230403-22-qw7kfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1200&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519116/original/file-20230403-22-qw7kfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1200&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519116/original/file-20230403-22-qw7kfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519116/original/file-20230403-22-qw7kfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519116/original/file-20230403-22-qw7kfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The crew will make a single flyby of the Moon in an Orion capsule.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasaorion/32125696615/">NASA</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A collaborative, diverse future</h2>
<p>Unlike the Apollo program of the 1960s and 1970s, with Artemis, NASA has placed a heavy emphasis on building a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/science/nasa-launch-artemis-1.html">politically sustainable lunar program</a> by fostering the participation of a diverse group of people and countries.</p>
<p>The participation of other countries in NASA missions – Canada in this case – <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/03/24/remarks-by-president-biden-and-prime-minister-trudeau-at-gala-dinner/">is particularly important</a> for the Artemis program and the Artemis II crew. International collaboration is beneficial for a number of reasons. First, it allows NASA to lean on the strengths and expertise of engineers, researchers and space agencies of U.S. allies and divide up the production of technologies and costs. It also helps the U.S. continue to provide international leadership in space as <a href="https://theconversation.com/nasas-head-warned-that-china-may-try-to-claim-the-moon-two-space-scholars-explain-why-thats-unlikely-to-happen-186614">competition with other countries</a> – notably China – heats up. </p>
<p>The crew of Artemis II is also quite diverse compared with the Apollo astronauts. NASA has often pointed out that the Artemis program will send the first woman and the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/">first person of color to the Moon</a>. With Koch and Glover on board, Artemis II is the first step in fulfilling that promise and moving toward the goal of inspiring future generations of space explorers.</p>
<p>The four astronauts aboard Artemis II will be the first humans to return to the vicinity of <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo-17/">the Moon since 1972</a>. The flyby will take the Orion capsule in one pass around the far side of the Moon. During the flight, the crew will monitor the spacecraft and test a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/opticalcommunications/o2o/">new communication system</a> that will allow them to send more data and communicate more easily with Earth than previous systems.</p>
<p>If all goes according to plan, in late 2025 Artemis III will mark humanity’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/artemis-iii/">return to the lunar surface</a>, this time also with a diverse crew. While the Artemis program still has a way to go before humans set foot on the Moon once again, the announcement of the Artemis II crew shows how NASA intends to get there in a diverse and collaborative way.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203214/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wendy Whitman Cobb is affiliated with the US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. Her views are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense or any of its components.</span></em></p>The Artemis II mission is scheduled for launch in late 2024 and is a critical step towards NASA’s goals of establishing a permanent human presence on and near the Moon.Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1877542022-07-26T21:25:08Z2022-07-26T21:25:08ZRussia’s withdrawal from the International Space Station could mean the early demise of the orbital lab – and sever another Russian link with the West<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476148/original/file-20220726-31544-rh7onh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C63%2C2613%2C1713&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Russia controls six modules aboard the International Space Station.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mpancha/2313255888/in/photolist-4wq3od-2heowP4-yZai28-No1b1u-9dhUXT-RDUpCe-8dquHT-2k7WkqK-qidpLg-2mX3oLj-aiC5e9-2gMR9DP-amD2x7-2hiaRL4-xBup8b-262DKJQ-eQSRqB-ziYYxJ-2m9JpNP-2hicya6-2juYpEE-2jjYUbn-2eJ6PzR-evAsDN-2k7YSTf-6QrytD-2jZaQ9i-TqKGfS-pmhY5p-2ne4gx6-ePndu4-bmiANe-7VJGfF-2iYUmVy-2j5uUX8-6W9vnt-oqVWyd-2mHJWc9-2keVJfy-aoBZjL-2hyV6eZ-pRnkN2-eFxVqy-rYeiG7-eR8QeS-Huf5j8-9YZKbM-czvDGG-2n3Mixa-2kniv3u">STS-122 Shuttle Crew, NASA via flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Editors note: On July 26, 2022, Russia announced its plan to withdraw from the International Space Station “after 2024.” This article was published on that same day based on the statement from the head of Russia’s space agency. But since then, Russia <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/07/russia-were-not-leaving-the-space-station-until-our-own-is-ready/">appears to have changed its stance</a>. A video posted by the Russian space agency and statements from a NASA official both indicated that Russia intends to continue operating the ISS with current partners until its own space station is complete. That station is scheduled to be operational sometime in 2028.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/26/science/russia-space-station.html">Russia intends to withdraw</a> from the International Space Station after 2024, according to an <a href="http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69062">announcement from Yuri Borisov</a>, the new head of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, in a meeting with Vladimir Putin on July 26, 2022. Borisov also said future efforts will focus on a new a Russian space station. </p>
<p>Current agreements on the ISS have it operating through 2024, and the station needs Russian modules to stay in orbit. The U.S. and its partners have been <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-extends-us-support-international-space-station-through-2030-2021-12-31/">seeking to extend</a> the station’s life to 2030. Russia’s announcement, while not a breach of any agreement or an immediate threat to the station’s daily operation, does mark the culmination of months of political tensions involving the ISS. </p>
<p>Over its 23-year lifetime, the station has been an important example of how Russia and the U.S. can work together despite being former adversaries. This cooperation has been especially significant as the countries’ relationship has deteriorated in recent years. While it remains unclear whether the Russians will follow through with this announcement, it does add significant stress to the operation of the most successful international cooperation in space ever. As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PxIOz7cAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">scholar who studies space policy</a>, I think the question now is whether the political relationship has gotten so bad that working together in space becomes impossible.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476154/original/file-20220726-37535-r36mpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo of sections of the ISS showing large solar panels sticking out from a central column." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476154/original/file-20220726-37535-r36mpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476154/original/file-20220726-37535-r36mpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476154/original/file-20220726-37535-r36mpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476154/original/file-20220726-37535-r36mpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476154/original/file-20220726-37535-r36mpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476154/original/file-20220726-37535-r36mpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476154/original/file-20220726-37535-r36mpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Zvezda module, at the far bottom left in this photo, is one of six Russian segments of the ISS and houses the engines used to keep the station in orbit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://archive.org/details/STS097-702-061">NASA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What would this withdrawal look like?</h2>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station">Russia operates six</a> of the 17 modules of the ISS – including Zvezda, which houses the main engine system. This engine is vital to the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/international-space-station-frequently-asked-questions">station’s ability to remain in orbit</a> and also to how it <a href="https://www.techspot.com/news/92227-international-space-station-had-make-evasive-maneuver-avoid.html">moves out of the way of dangerous space debris</a>. Under <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraine-invasion-threatens-international-collaboration-in-space-and-shows-how-power-structures-are-changing-podcast-181997">the ISS agreements</a>, Russia retains full control and legal authority over its modules.</p>
<p>It is currently unclear how Russia’s withdrawal will play out. Russia’s announcement speaks only to “after 2024.” Additionally, Russia did not say whether it would allow the ISS partners to take control of the Russian modules and continue to operate the station or whether it would require that the modules be shut down completely.</p>
<p>Given that the Russian modules are necessary to station operations, it’s uncertain <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-run-iss-solo-russia-pull-out-space-station-cosmonauts-1684600">whether the station would be able to operate</a> without them. It’s also unclear whether it would be possible to separate the Russian modules from the rest of the ISS, as the entire station was designed to be interconnected.</p>
<p>Depending on how and when Russia decides to pull out of the station, partner countries will have to make tough choices about whether to deorbit the ISS altogether or find creative solutions to keep it in the sky.</p>
<h2>A continuation of political tensions</h2>
<p>The announcement of the withdrawal is the latest in a series of events concerning the ISS that have occurred since Russia first invaded Ukraine in February. Russia’s decision to leave should not have a significant effect on the daily function of ISS. Like a number of minor incidents that have happened over the previous months, it is more of a political action. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476155/original/file-20220726-23-utgfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three people holding a teal, blue and red flag aboard the ISS." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476155/original/file-20220726-23-utgfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476155/original/file-20220726-23-utgfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476155/original/file-20220726-23-utgfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476155/original/file-20220726-23-utgfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476155/original/file-20220726-23-utgfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476155/original/file-20220726-23-utgfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476155/original/file-20220726-23-utgfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">NASA accused Russia of staging an anti-Ukrainian propaganda photo on the ISS after Russia’s space agency posted this photo of three cosmonauts holding a flag of the Luhansk People’s Republic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://t.me/roscosmos_gk/5556">Roscosmos via Telegram</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first incident occurred in March, when three Russian cosmonauts <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/science/russian-astronauts-yellow-blue-flight-suits-ukraine.html">emerged from their capsule</a> in yellow and blue flight suits that were similar in color to the Ukrainian flag. Despite the resemblance, Russian officials never spoke about the coincidence. Then, on July 7, 2022, <a href="https://spacenews.com/nasa-criticizes-russia-for-using-space-station-to-promote-invasion-of-ukraine/">NASA publicly criticized Russia</a> for apparently staging a propaganda photo. In the photo, the three Russian cosmonauts pose with flags associated with regions in eastern Ukraine occupied by Russian forces.</p>
<p>There have been no disruptions to the operation of the station itself. Astronauts on the station continue to perform dozens of experiments every day, as well as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/tech/spacewalk-iss-esa-russia-scn/index.html">carrying out joint spacewalks</a>. But one substantial effect of the increasing tensions was the <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/russia-just-axed-joint-experiments-on-the-international-space-station-due-to-sanctions">end of Russian participation in joint experiments</a> with European nations aboard the ISS.</p>
<p>With little information available about how Russia’s withdrawal will affect the use of its modules, in the short term, it seems likely that the largest effects will be on scientific experiments. </p>
<h2>Why now?</h2>
<p>It’s unclear why Russia made this announcement now. </p>
<p>Tensions surrounding the ISS have been high since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. At the time, Dmitry Rogozin, then head of Roscosmos, <a href="https://gizmodo.com/dmitry-rogozin-roscosmos-us-sanctions-iss-crash-into-ea-1848599213">insinuated that Russia’s leaving the ISS might be a possibility</a>. However, Rogozin was recently fired, and NASA and Roscosmos announced a <a href="https://gizmodo.com/nasa-roscosmos-seat-swap-agreement-space-station-1849189842">seat swap for the ISS</a>. Under this deal, an American astronaut would launch to the station on a future Soyuz mission while a cosmonaut would launch on an upcoming SpaceX Dragon launch. The two moves together suggested that the two sides might still be able to find ways to work together in space. But it seems those impressions were misleading.</p>
<p>The announcement also comes as the U.S. is considering the future beyond the ISS. NASA is currently in the first phase of <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-companies-to-develop-commercial-destinations-in-space">development of a commercial space station</a> as a replacement for the orbiting lab. While accelerating the development of this new space station would be difficult, it does signal that the ISS is nearing the end of its productive and inspirational life, no matter what Russia does.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187754/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wendy Whitman Cobb is affiliated with the US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. Her views are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense or any of its components.</span></em></p>The head of the Russian space agency announced that the country will withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024. A space policy expert explains what this means and why it’s happening now.Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1536882021-01-26T19:43:31Z2021-01-26T19:43:31ZIntense scrutiny of Chinese-born researchers in the US threatens innovation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380696/original/file-20210126-23-1v5umah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=139%2C0%2C3893%2C2824&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Who should be allowed into U.S. labs and who should be kept out?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-chemist-in-the-laboratory-royalty-free-image/506999858">7postman/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/mit-professor-arrested-and-charged-grant-fraud">arrest of MIT engineering professor Gang Chen</a> on Jan. 14 has drawn attention to the role of China in U.S. science and technology system. It’s not the first time suspicions have fallen on a Chinese-born scientist – Chen is a naturalized U.S. citizen – for work they conduct openly in the United States.</p>
<p>The charges against Gang Chen – wire fraud, failing to report a foreign bank account and a false statement on a tax return – stem from failing to disclose Chinese funding for his research. MIT called the allegations “<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2021/professor-gang-chen-fraud-0114">distressing</a>,” and the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/23/metro/mit-president-faculty-members-defend-professor-arrested-china-ties/">school’s president and 100 faculty members</a> are defending a Chinese university’s investment in MIT research. No evidence of spying has been made public, but a Department of Justice criminal complaint expressed suspicions that Chen’s loyalty may not be aligned with American interests.</p>
<p>These <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02515-x">kinds of investigations</a> risk damaging one of the U.S.’s most important assets: open inquiry.</p>
<p>The U.S. government’s scrutiny of Chinese Americans and Chinese scholars runs up against the value of open scientific exchange. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OBu0OHEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">My research on international collaboration in science</a> has shown that <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/open-countries-have-strong-science-1.22754">open nations have strong science</a>. Nations that accept visitors and send researchers abroad, those that engage richly in cross-border collaborations and fund international projects produce better science and excel in innovation. <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/jasonsecurity/JSR-19-2IFundamentalResearchSecurity_12062019FINAL.pdf">Closing doors inhibits the very trait</a> that makes the U.S. innovation system the envy of the world. </p>
<p>For six decades, the United States has been the mecca for smart people interested in conducting research. But this changed under the Trump administration: Government agencies looked with extra scrutiny at scholars from China for fear they planned to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/14/world/asia/china-academics-fbi-visa-bans.html">steal intellectual property</a>. In a speech to U.S. academics, an <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/the-importance-of-partnerships-in-responding-to-the-chinese-economic-espionage-threat-to-academia">FBI official has stated</a>, “…the greatest long-term threat to our nation’s information and ideas and to our economic vitality and leadership is the threat from the Chinese government.” </p>
<p>Scrutinizing Chinese researchers as if their actions automatically deserve suspicion threatens to poison the relationship between the U.S. and China, the rising world power in science and technology. I contend that cutting off this relationship makes the American innovation system more vulnerable, not safer. U.S. strength is in rapid innovation in an open environment; <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA208-1.html">China’s choice for a more closed society</a> may work against their innovation goals, but we should not turn it against our own. </p>
<h2>Different countries, different treatment</h2>
<p>The tales of two rocket scientists reflect what I consider the danger inherent in fears of Chinese influence. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380547/original/file-20210125-17-9fg2n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Qian Xuesen writes on chalkboard" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380547/original/file-20210125-17-9fg2n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380547/original/file-20210125-17-9fg2n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380547/original/file-20210125-17-9fg2n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380547/original/file-20210125-17-9fg2n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380547/original/file-20210125-17-9fg2n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380547/original/file-20210125-17-9fg2n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380547/original/file-20210125-17-9fg2n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Undated photo of Qian Xuesen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tsien_Hsue-shen.jpg">Shizhao/Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-54695598">Qian Xuesen</a>, a Chinese-born scientist educated at MIT, helped the United States win World War II with contributions to jet propulsion research. After the war, Qian worked at Caltech publishing brilliant science.</p>
<p>Sadly for him, the early days of American rocket science coincided with growing suspicions about foreign influence in the United States, similar to concerns seen now. Qian’s coworkers began to worry whether he was American enough in his allegiances.</p>
<p>At the same time that suspicions gathered around Qian and others, the American government’s secret <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip">Operation Paperclip</a> brought Wernher von Braun and other Nazi military rocket scientists to the United States. Von Braun and others spent a decade under military custody, <a href="https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/annie-jacobsen/operation-paperclip/9780316221054/">accelerating the American rocket program</a>.</p>
<p>Both Qian and von Braun spent the early 1950s under house arrest, but for different reasons and with different ends. Although no evidence was ever presented, in 1955, Qian was deemed a spy and deported. China welcomed him back, building him a laboratory; he is called “the <a href="https://nextshark.com/qian-xuesen-china-launch-into-space/">father of Chinese space technology</a>.” Encouraging Qian to remain in the U.S. likely would have delayed Chinese advances in missile technology.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380527/original/file-20210125-13-xy5lk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Model rocket with von Braun and JFK" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380527/original/file-20210125-13-xy5lk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380527/original/file-20210125-13-xy5lk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380527/original/file-20210125-13-xy5lk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380527/original/file-20210125-13-xy5lk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380527/original/file-20210125-13-xy5lk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380527/original/file-20210125-13-xy5lk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380527/original/file-20210125-13-xy5lk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wernher von Braun (center) explained the Saturn Launch System to President John F. Kennedy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/explorer/von-braun.html">NASA</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In contrast, von Braun led U.S. rocket science to success in the Cold War’s space race. He went on to great acclaim in the United States and became an American citizen, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/history/vonbraun/bio.html">working for NASA</a> for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>American suspicions about China have a long history, fed by xenophobia and anti-Communist views. Even now, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_exclusion_policy_of_NASA">U.S. law prohibits NASA</a> from cooperating with China. As China has grown to be the world’s <a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-with-the-most-high-tech-exports.html">largest high-tech exporter</a>, fears and anger grow that <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-china-trade-pact-president-trump-just-signed-fails-to-resolve-3-fundamental-issues-130017">China is stealing U.S. know-how</a>. China’s case is complicated by its sheer size as well as internal links between <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200603185019349">science and military technology</a>.</p>
<h2>Chinese scholars in the US</h2>
<p>Even in the face of political tensions and visa challenges, the number of international Chinese students and scholars moving to the U.S. for higher education and to participate in research and development grew spectacularly in the decade leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380535/original/file-20210125-13-qt2j9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="two women with U.S. and China flags, one wearing a graduation gown" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380535/original/file-20210125-13-qt2j9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380535/original/file-20210125-13-qt2j9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380535/original/file-20210125-13-qt2j9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380535/original/file-20210125-13-qt2j9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380535/original/file-20210125-13-qt2j9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380535/original/file-20210125-13-qt2j9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380535/original/file-20210125-13-qt2j9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Two students from China celebrate their 2019 graduation from Columbia University in New York.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ColumbiaCommencement/bdc54a099af94cda930b826dcd156ae1/photo?Query=Chinese%20AND%20science&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=617&currentItemNo=12">AP Photo/Mark Lennihan</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Chinese students <a href="https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20201/u-s-s-e-workforce#foreign-born-scientists-and-engineers">studying in the United States</a> in 2017 numbered about 141,000 undergraduates and 125,000 graduate students. An estimated 4,400 Chinese scholars (which can include students) came to the U.S. in 2017 to work in American labs, joining <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scz056">more than 9,000 already in the U.S</a>. Chinese <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/sei/one-pagers/Foreign-Born.pdf">doctorate earners graduating from American</a> universities in 2018 with plans to remain in the U.S. numbered more than 4,000 – similar to the preceding five years. </p>
<h2>What happens when scientists migrate</h2>
<p>The “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_theory_(investments)">mosaic theory</a>” has been borrowed from finance to apply to Chinese students, visitors and emigres in the United States. U.S. government officials fear that each visitor could each be contributing a single “tile” of knowledge that, once recombined in China, construct complicated mosaic patterns of deep scientific and technological insights and capacities.</p>
<p>This idea assumes that China possesses a great deal of core knowledge needed to reassemble the information. It would also rely on a herculean feat of organization. </p>
<p>Moreover, the mosaic theory misunderstands science and technology, which is quite unlike finance where a dollar can be in only one place at a time. Scientific research is shared and multiplied through open exchange, communication and mobility. Knowledge held in secret gets old and stale very quickly. Researchers <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2004/05/seven-laws-networking-those-who-give-get">who do not share are shunned</a>: It is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.01.019">exchange and recombination</a> that creates the value.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380594/original/file-20210126-21-173qmfv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Columned building at MIT" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380594/original/file-20210126-21-173qmfv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380594/original/file-20210126-21-173qmfv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380594/original/file-20210126-21-173qmfv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380594/original/file-20210126-21-173qmfv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380594/original/file-20210126-21-173qmfv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380594/original/file-20210126-21-173qmfv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380594/original/file-20210126-21-173qmfv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">MIT is just one illustrious U.S. university that is an adopted home for scholars from around the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/view-of-the-campus-of-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-news-photo/1255079686">Maddie Meyer/Getty Images News via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The United States has benefited mightily from the openness of its system to welcome smart people from anywhere in the world to <a href="https://cen.acs.org/careers/diversity/Science-US-built-immigrants-keep/97/i9">help build a knowledge base</a>. One-third of <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/">Nobel Prizes</a> awarded to U.S.-based scientists have gone to immigrants. People who spend time in the U.S. and later return home often continue to link to their American counterparts, creating a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0131816">global network of connections</a> with broad global (and national) benefits.</p>
<p>COVID-19 research and development experiences highlight the benefits of openness. In the earliest days of the pandemic, Chinese researchers galvanized world research by <a href="https://www.gisaid.org/">publishing the genome sequence</a> of the novel coronavirus. International coronavirus researchers who had formed connections over the decade prior to COVID-19’s emergence were energized into action. Rapidly, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236307">Chinese and U.S. scientists increased their cooperation</a> on virology, immunology and epidemiology to lay the groundwork for rapid testing, treatment and vaccines. Regrettably, political actions on both sides cooled the early actions and <a href="https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3729672">reduced the linkages</a>, but vaccines were on the way.</p>
<p>The United States can continue to discourage Chinese researchers from participating in its research, stuck in binary mode of viewing relations as so-called “great power competition.” China is not an ally, so it does make sense to me to restrict cooperation on military technologies.</p>
<p>But suspicions about Chinese researchers – ones echoing a Red Scare and fears of spying – will send home the next Qian Xuesen to build China’s capabilities. I suggest the U.S. would benefit from recognizing the critical role of open research, the enriched scientific capacities of many countries and the benefits the United States receives thanks to knowledge created or reintegrated here by immigrants and visitors.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153688/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caroline Wagner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The recent arrest of a Chinese-born scientist at MIT raises questions about the value of international science collaboration and its impact on the American innovation system.Caroline Wagner, Milton & Roslyn Wolf Chair in International Affairs, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1008522018-08-08T14:48:29Z2018-08-08T14:48:29ZNorth-South research partnerships must break old patterns for real change<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230393/original/file-20180802-136661-1fc8x4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Listening and learning during a Sustainable Futures in Action meeting in Kampala, Uganda.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Molly Gilmour </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since <a href="https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-future-of-development">the 1940s</a> major world powers like the US, the UK and the United Nations have made moves to spread their scientific, economic, industrial, and human rights progress to countries and regions that are seen as less developed, vulnerable or deprived in one way or another.</p>
<p>This has taken the form of a substantial, varied – and largely well-intentioned – contribution of huge financial and human resources from the global north to the global south. Today the flow of aid money, resources, and increasing global morality and mobility is building ever broader pipelines between these different regions.</p>
<p>And yet from where we stand as individual researchers, with funding and
passion to share, we see an unsettling and consistent characteristic of this
development history. The global north has experienced a gradual increase of economic strength and environmental protection, through jobs, career development, cheap goods and services. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the global south has undergone a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/26/land-degradation-is-undermining-human-wellbeing-un-report-warns">sustained</a> <a href="http://imrc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Migration-Urbanisation-and-Food-Security-in-Cities-of-the-Global-South-Conference-Report.pdf">degradation</a> of autonomy, fertile land, food security and cultural literacies. All this has occurred through an imposition of foreign ideas, materials, ideologies and knowledge systems. </p>
<p>Despite all the good intentions, and the promises and provision of funding and expertise, global challenges persist and in some cases, have increased. As academics in social justice research, we are working in relation to a world of increasing social fragmentation and ecological vulnerability. This is happening “on our watch”; at the hands of our methods and practices and paradigms of research and professional practice. </p>
<p>That’s why we’re trying to do things differently. The <a href="http://www.sustainablefuturesinafrica.com/">Sustainable Futures in Africa Network</a>, funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund, was formed in 2016. Our aim is to resist becoming another project within this trajectory of north to south research and development. We’re working to resist “business-as-usual”. The network has hubs in Nigeria, Uganda, Botswana, Malawi and the UK. </p>
<p>What we’re doing is taking a completely different approach to research by ditching old techniques and approaches and breaking research moulds that have become entrenched over the past eight decades. For example, we’re pioneering ways of engaging with communities that allow them to contribute their traditional knowledge and co-design the research agenda.</p>
<p>Our practices allow us to genuinely and ethically communicate and collaborate with communities, colleagues, and stakeholders. This is especially crucial when it comes to different knowledge systems. For example, in Nigeria soil scientists are engaging with spiritual beliefs that inform communities of the meaning of gold found in their soil. These ideas conflict with what is known in terms of Western science, and yet they serve a real purpose, have real impacts, and are “true” and “factful” to the communities that live according to such beliefs.</p>
<p>Different approaches are imperative if development initiatives are to buck the worrying trends that have cemented inequality and lessened sustainability.</p>
<h2>How we work</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/global-academic-collaboration-a-new-form-of-colonisation-61382">Collaboration</a> between the global north and global south too often follows a tick-box approach. A named global south partner ticks a box to indicate that a project is complying with Official Development Assistance criteria. A local translator ticks a box to indicate that local people are being consulted. A meeting in the country of a Southern partner indicates that the work must be collaborative in nature. </p>
<p>Typically the results will confirm the (Northern) “expert’s” hypothesis and support <a href="http://trumpeter.athabascau.ca/index.php/trumpet/article/viewFile/358/563">monocultures of the mind</a>. What should be true collaboration, then, results in everyone thinking the same way.</p>
<p>Much formal funded research conducted in the name of development and social justice begins with the great promise of expertise and resources. This merely serves the validation and purpose of the “expert”, a person who is typically from the global north or a university setting.</p>
<p>We do things differently. We begin by acknowledging our own implications in the issues we address: we ask how <em>our own</em> practices, assumptions and behaviours contribute to the very inequities and issues we seek to improve. We prioritise creating a safe and honest common ground where new knowledges can be shared and new solutions can be co-designed.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="http://web.monitor.co.ug/Supplement/2018/07/AWOC072020118.pdf">in Uganda</a> we engaged in fieldwork to study water and food security issues using a “no method” approach with no predetermined research design. This meant no questionnaire or sampling technique. Instead the team spent time with families in their homes, listened to them and allowed the communities to direct the research enquiry. </p>
<p>Our ideas and expectations were confounded. The extreme problems these communities faced were largely due to the misplaced aid and intervention of previous projects. By listening, and bringing our own knowledge to the table, we were able to understand these communities as complex spaces of social, cultural and ecological needs.</p>
<p>Another difference lies in the way the network shares insights with its stakeholders. There are no shiny reports crammed with tables and graphs, sent to external offices so that a box is ticked. Rather, policy makers, researchers, and community members are brought together in common spaces – such as a community hall constructed entirely from recycled plastic water bottles and a timber frame in an urban slum in Kampala – so they can engage differently with the factors, people and places at play in a given issue. </p>
<h2>Change is crucial</h2>
<p>These experiences have proved to us that decisive changes to the traditional methodologies of collaboration are necessary. Without change, the trajectory of growth and development in the world will remain consistent with what’s happened over the past 80 years: the north will keep getting richer and the south, poorer. It’s time to abandon well-trodden paths and forge new approaches.</p>
<p><em>This article was co-authored by Dr Deepa Pullanikkatil, who recently completed a residency at the University of Glasgow funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK. She is the co-founder of Abundance (www.abundanceworldwide.org).</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100852/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mia Perry receives funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund within the UK Research and Innovation Institution and the Scottish Funding Council</span></em></p>Without change, the trajectory of growth and development in the world will remain consistent with that of the past 80 years.Mia Perry, Senior Lecturer, Education, Arts, Literacies, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/838402017-09-14T10:06:30Z2017-09-14T10:06:30ZIndonesia races against its ASEAN neighbours, but science needs more collaboration<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185634/original/file-20170912-19521-wjoicg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Studies find the 21st century has seen more articles written by teams.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>After outnumbering Thailand in academic publications for the first time, Indonesia is upbeat that it will catch up with its more productive neighbours, Singapore and Malaysia, in 2019. However, in 21st century, the science world needs more collaboration than competition. </p>
<p>To measure Indonesia’s academic achievement, the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education and several universities pays a lot of attention to publications indexed in Scopus (one of the largest academic databases) and world university rankings. </p>
<p>In August this year the ministry <a href="http://sumberdaya.ristekdikti.go.id/index.php/2017/08/07/publikasi-internasional-indonesia-lampaui-thailand-dirjen-ghufron-apresiasi-dosen-dan-peneliti/">announced with delight</a> that, for the first time, publications by Indonesian academia (9,349 publications for Indonesia and 8,204 for Thailand as of the July 31, 2017) outnumbered those by Thailand academia. Now, Indonesia sits in the third position in the ASEAN, behind Malaysia and Singapore.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indonesias-knowledge-sector-is-catching-up-but-a-large-gap-persists-67937">Indonesia’s knowledge sector is catching up, but a large gap persists</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Whether or not Indonesia can retain this recent third position until the end of this year remains to be seen. However, the ministry is upbeat Indonesia will soon catch up and outnumber Singapore, which is currently No. 2 by number of publications, and by the end of 2019 it will pass Malaysia and be No. 1 in the ASEAN. </p>
<p>The data cited by the ministry was not bad at all. We should praise and be proud of it. Yet, we also need to critically assess it. </p>
<h2>Looking beyond numbers of documents</h2>
<p>We need to take a look beyond the sum of publications. Bibliometric <a href="http://www.scimagojr.com/countryrank.php?year=2016">database SCImago recorded in 2016</a> that Indonesia produced 11,470 publications, resulting in 4,604 citations. Thailand produced 14,176 publications, resulting in 11,331 citations. </p>
<iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/rzgju/3/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" width="100%" height="380"></iframe>
<p>Interestingly, citation-wise, Indonesia ranks even lower than Vietnam, which has less publications than Indonesia (5,563 in 2016) but more citations at 4,970. </p>
<p>There are various reasons why published work may or may not be cited. As a rule of thumb, citations indicate the relevance of the published work to the work of other scholars. The data from SCImago shows Indonesia’s citation is far behind Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. </p>
<p>The data suggests it’s important for Indonesian academics to put more effort into getting their publications cited by other academics. Indonesia needs to publish more, and publish research more relevant to other scholars.</p>
<h2>University rankings</h2>
<p>Citations are also important because these are linked to the performance of a country in world university rankings. There are different university rankings in the world. The Times Higher Education world university ranking, considered the most reliable and comprehensive, confirms Indonesia’s standing compared with Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. </p>
<p>Using <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/advice/world-university-rankings-explained">five performance indicators</a> - teaching, research, <em>citations</em>, international outlook and industry income - The Times Higher Education’s latest ranking lists <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2018/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/locations/SG/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats">two Singaporean universities</a> within its top 100, making Singapore the best among the four ASEAN countries.</p>
<p>The other three countries do not have any universities listed in the top 100 but <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2018/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/locations/MY/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats">Malaysia has nine in the whole list</a> and one of them is in the top 400. </p>
<p>Thailand has ten universities in the list, one of them in top 600.</p>
<p>Three of <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2018/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/locations/ID/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats">Indonesia’s</a> most reputable universities - Institut Teknologi Bandung, Universitas Gadjah Mada and Universitas Indonesia - are within the top 1,000 and Institut Pertanian Bogor is in the list’s 1,000+ band. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2017/young-university-rankings#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats">Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings</a> lists only the top 200 universities, under 50 years old. In 2017, this list recognised one Singaporean university, six Malaysian universities and one in Thailand. Sadly, Indonesia is not on the list.</p>
<p>Times Higher Education world university rankings show that Indonesia not only needs to beat just the number of publications by Malaysian or Singaporean academics in 2019 but also the relevance of their research.</p>
<h2>The century of collaboration for science</h2>
<p>The ministry has tried to incentivize scholars with <a href="http://research.ui.ac.id/research/id/pengumuman/pengumuman-insentif-artikel-pada-jurnal-internasional-tahun-2016/">money</a> to publish more scientific papers, but Indonesian academics need to go further than that. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4076783/">Research</a> finds 21st century science is about working with researchers from different disciplines and even public stakeholders. This sort of collaborative approach can be the basis of which to improve Indonesia’s higher education practices. This cooperation facilitates a shared vision to address complex challenges better.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/jones-ben/htm/Teams.ScienceExpress.pdf">Other research</a> shows publications authored by teams of researchers have been more frequently cited and had a greater scientific impact since 1960s, compared with publications by a single author. </p>
<p>These studies - both written by teams - argue for team work, saying it is increasingly significant in producing knowledge. </p>
<h2>Collaboration, not competition</h2>
<p>The higher education ministry needs to place a greater focus on enhancing team-based research and pursuing collaboration between Indonesian researchers and foreign researchers, especially from countries or universities that have a strong reputation in scientific publication. </p>
<p>Data from SCImago below shows the percentage of academic articles from Indonesia written by authors from more than one country keeps falling while Singapore’s going up.</p>
<iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/escPG/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" width="100%" height="305"></iframe>
<p>In addition to <a href="http://kelembagaan.ristekdikti.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/PERMEN-NOMOR-20-TAHUN-2017-TENTANG-TUNJANGAN-PROFESI-DAN-TUNGANGAN-KEHORMATAN-SA.pdf">ministerial regulation</a> on incentives for scholars writing scientific articles, the ministry needs to allocate research grants specifically endorsing collaborative projects. </p>
<p>The collaboration should be between Indonesian and foreign researchers to avoid <a href="https://theconversation.com/insularity-leaves-indonesia-trailing-behind-in-the-world-of-social-research-53973">insularity</a>. </p>
<p>Indonesia may need to start with its neighbours. Indonesian academics may not need to compete with Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. What they should do is to collaborate with them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83840/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dicky Pelupessy tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham, atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi selain yang telah disebut di atas.</span></em></p>Indonesia announces it has outnumbered Thailand in terms of academic publication number. It’s good news but Indonesia needs to make the studies more relevant to get more citations.Dicky Pelupessy, Lecturer, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas IndonesiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/758042017-04-26T01:03:21Z2017-04-26T01:03:21ZPolice around the world learn to fight global-scale cybercrime<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166668/original/file-20170425-12650-umknr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Police must join forces across international borders to take on modern cybercriminals.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/armed-terrorist-group-terrorism-concept-flat-437036053">wutzkohphoto/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>From 2009 to 2016, a cybercrime network called Avalanche grew into one of the world’s <a href="http://www.voanews.com/a/europol-brings-down-avalanche-global-cybercrime-syndicate/3619096.html">most sophisticated criminal syndicates</a>. It <a href="https://cchs.gwu.edu/sites/cchs.gwu.edu/files/Responding%20to%20Cybercrime%20at%20Scale%20FINAL.pdf">resembled an international conglomerate</a>, staffed by corporate executives, advertising salespeople and customer service representatives. </p>
<p>Its business, though, was not standard international trade. Avalanche provided a hacker’s delight of a <a href="http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/962-avalanche-takedown">one-stop shop</a> for <a href="https://www.wired.com/2016/12/took-4-years-take-avalanche-huge-online-crime-ring/">all kinds of cybercrime</a> to criminals without their own technical expertise but with the motivation and ingenuity to perpetrate a scam. At the height of its activity, the Avalanche group had hijacked hundreds of thousands of computer systems in homes and businesses around the world, using them to send more than a million criminally motivated emails per week. </p>
<p><a href="https://cchs.gwu.edu/sites/cchs.gwu.edu/files/Responding%20to%20Cybercrime%20at%20Scale%20FINAL.pdf">Our study of Avalanche</a>, and of the groundbreaking law enforcement effort that ultimately took it down in December 2016, gives us a look at how the cybercriminal underground will operate in the future, and how police around the world must <a href="https://www.flashpoint-intel.com/blog/cybercrime/blog-psychology-cybercriminal/">cooperate to fight back</a>. </p>
<h2>Cybercrime at scale</h2>
<p>Successful cybercriminal enterprises need strong and reliable technology, but what increasingly separates the big players from the smaller nuisances is business acumen. Underground markets, forums and message systems, <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/this-dark-web-service-makes-spamming-hackers-ridiculously-easy">often hosted on the deep web</a>, have created <a href="https://securityintelligence.com/cybercrime-ecosystem-everything-is-for-sale/">a service-based economy of cybercrime</a>.</p>
<p>Just as regular businesses can <a href="https://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/software-as-a-service-saas/">hire online services</a> – buying Google products to handle their email, spreadsheets and document sharing, and hosting websites on Amazon with payments handled by PayPal – <a href="https://www.mcafee.com/us/resources/white-papers/wp-cybercrime-exposed.pdf">cybercriminals can do the same</a>. Sometimes these criminals use legitimate service platforms like PayPal in addition to others specifically designed for illicit marketplaces.</p>
<p>And just as the legal cloud-computing giants aim to efficiently offer products of broad use to a wide customer base, <a href="http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR600/RR610/RAND_RR610.pdf">criminal computing services do the same</a>. They pursue technological capabilities that a wide range of customers want to use more easily. Today, with an internet connection and some currency (<a href="http://www.econotimes.com/Bitcoin-remains-currency-of-choice-for-much-of-cybercrime-%E2%80%93-Europol-326623">bitcoin preferred</a>), almost anyone can buy and sell narcotics online, purchase hacking services or rent botnets to cripple competitors and spread money-making malware.</p>
<p>The Avalanche network excelled at this, selling technically advanced products to its customers while using <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-documents/operation-avalanche-infographic-technical">sophisticated techniques</a> to evade detection and identification as the source by law enforcement. Avalanche offered, in business terms, “<a href="http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/cybercrime-as-a-service-economy-stronger-than-ever-a-9396">cybercrime as a service</a>,” supporting a broad digital underground economy. By leaving to others the design and execution of innovative ways to use them, Avalanche and its criminal customers efficiently split the work of planning, executing and developing the technology for advanced cybercrime scams.</p>
<p>With Avalanche, renters – or the network’s operators themselves – could <a href="https://securelist.com/analysis/publications/36209/the-botnet-business/">communicate with, and take control of, some or all of the hijacked computers</a> to <a href="https://krebsonsecurity.com/2010/02/zeus-a-virus-known-as-botnet/#more-1235">conduct a wide range of cyberattacks</a>. The criminals could then, for example, <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/ddos-attacks-hit-record-numbers-in-q2-2015/">knock websites offline for hours or longer</a>. That in turn could let them <a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2015/11/pay-or-well-knock-your-site-offline-ddos-for-ransom-attacks-surge/">extract ransom payments</a>, disrupt online transactions to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/10/a-lot/505025/">hurt a business’ bottom line</a> or <a href="https://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/02/ddos-attack-on-bank-hid-900000-cyberheist/">distract victims</a> while accomplices employed stealthier methods to steal customer data or financial information. The Avalanche group also sold access to <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/%E2%80%98avalanche%E2%80%99-network-dismantled-in-international-cyber-operation">20 unique types of malicious software</a>. Criminal operations facilitated by Avalanche cost businesses, governments and individuals around the world <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/joint-statement-dismantling-international-cyber-criminal-infrastructure-known-avalanche">hundreds of millions of dollars</a>.</p>
<h2>Low risk, high reward</h2>
<p>To date, cybercrime has offered high profits – like the <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/15/technology/ransomware-cyber-security/">US$1 billion annual</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-easier-to-defend-against-ransomware-than-you-might-think-57258">ransomware market</a> – with low risk. Cybercriminals often use technical means to obscure their identities and locations, making it <a href="https://community.norton.com/en/blogs/norton-protection-blog/how-do-cybercriminals-get-caught">challenging</a> for law enforcement to effectively pursue them.</p>
<p>That makes cybercrime very attractive to traditional criminals. With a lower technological bar, huge amounts of money, manpower and real-world connections have come flooding into the cybercrime ecosystem. For instance, in 2014, <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/10/technology/jpmorgan-hack-charges/?iid=EL">cybercriminals hacked into major financial firms</a> to get information about specific companies’ stocks and to steal investors’ personal information. They first bought stock in certain companies, then sent false email advertisements to specific investors, with the goal of <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/632156/download">artificially inflating those companies’ stock prices</a>. It worked: Stock prices went up, and the criminals sold their holdings, raking in <a href="http://www.crime-research.org/library/Cybercrime.htm">profits they could use for their next scam</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, the internet allows criminal operations to function <a href="https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/magazine-features/cybercrime-knows-no-borders/">across geographic boundaries and legal jurisdictions</a> in ways that are simply impractical in the physical world. Criminals in the real world must be at a crime’s actual site and may leave physical evidence behind – like fingerprints on a bank vault or records of traveling to and from the place the crime occurred. <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tracking-cyber-hackers/">In cyberspace</a>, a criminal in Belarus can hack into a vulnerable server in Hungary to remotely direct distributed operations against victims in South America without ever setting foot below the Equator.</p>
<h2>A path forward</h2>
<p>All these factors present <a href="https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/testimony/the-fbis-perspective-on-the-cybercrime-problem">significant challenges</a> for police, who must also contend with limited budgets and manpower with which to conduct complex investigations, the technical challenges of following sophisticated hackers through the internet and the need to work with officials in other countries.</p>
<p>The multinational cooperation involved in successfully taking down the Avalanche network can be a model for future efforts in fighting digital crime. Coordinated by Europol, the European Union’s police agency, the plan takes inspiration from the sharing economy. </p>
<p>Uber owns very few cars and Airbnb has no property; they help connect drivers and homeowners with customers who need transportation or lodging. Similarly, while Europol <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/about-europol">has no direct policing powers</a> or unique intelligence, it can connect law enforcement agencies across the continent. This <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/uberisation-international-police-work-rob-wainwright">“uberization” of law enforcement</a> was crucial to synchronizing the coordinated action that seized, blocked and redirected traffic for <a href="http://blog.shadowserver.org/2016/12/01/avalanche/">more than 800,000 domains across 30 countries</a>. </p>
<p>Through those partnerships, various national police agencies were able to collect pieces of information from their own jurisdictions and send it, through Europol, to German authorities, who took the lead on the investigation. Analyzing all of that collected data revealed the identity of the suspects and untangled its complex network of servers and software. The nonprofit <a href="http://blog.shadowserver.org/2016/12/01/avalanche/">Shadowserver Foundation</a> and others assisted with the actual takedown of the server infrastructure, while anti-virus companies helped victims clean up their computers.</p>
<h2>Using the network against the criminals</h2>
<p>Police are increasingly learning – <a href="http://www.oecd.org/sti/consumer/42534994.pdf">often from private sector experts</a> – how to detect and stop criminals’ online activities. Avalanche’s <a href="http://www.eurojust.europa.eu/press/Documents/Operation%20Avalanche%20infographic.pdf">complex technological setup</a> lent itself to a technique called “<a href="https://www.trendmicro.co.kr/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/white-papers/wp__sinkholing-botnets.pdf">sinkholing</a>,” in which malicious internet traffic is sent into the electronic equivalent of a bottomless pit. When a hijacked computer tried to contact its controller, the police-run sinkhole captured that message and prevented it from reaching the actual central controller. Without control, the infected computer couldn’t do anything nefarious.</p>
<p>However, interrupting the technological systems isn’t enough, unless police are able to stop the criminals too. <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-botnet-idUSKBN17C2B4">Three times since 2010</a>, police tried to take down the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-actions-dismantle-kelihos-botnet-0">Kelihos</a> botnet. But each time the person behind it escaped and was able to resume criminal activities using more resilient infrastructure. In early April, however, the FBI was able to <a href="https://www.wired.com/2017/04/fbi-took-russias-spam-king-massive-botnet/">arrest Peter Levashov</a>, allegedly its longtime operator, while on a family vacation in Spain. </p>
<p>The effort to take down Avalanche also resulted in the <a href="https://www.cyberscoop.com/avalanche-botnet-cybercrime-europol/">arrests of five people</a> who allegedly ran the organization. Their removal from action likely led to a <a href="https://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2016/12/16/avalanche-cybercriminal-infrastructure-takedown">temporary disruption in the broader global cybercrime environment</a>. It forced the criminals who were Avalanche’s customers to stop and regroup, and may offer police additional intelligence, depending on what investigators can convince the people arrested to reveal.</p>
<p>The Avalanche network was just the beginning of the challenges law enforcement will face when it comes to combating international cybercrime. To keep their enterprises alive, the criminals will share their experiences and learn from the past. Police agencies around the world must do the same to keep up.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/75804/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Frank J. Cilluffo receives funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation and the Japanese External Trade Organization in support of the Center's work on cybersecurity issues. He is affiliated with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, the National Consortium for Advanced Policing, CBS, and KnowCyber</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Wainwright is the director of Europol. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alec Nadeau does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Cybercriminals are using cloud-based services, much like regular businesses. A new study reveals important lessons for the future of fighting cybercrime.Frank J. Cilluffo, Director, Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, George Washington UniversityAlec Nadeau, Presidential Administrative Fellow, Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, George Washington UniversityRob Wainwright, Director of Europol; Honorary Fellow, Strategy and Security Institute, University of ExeterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/674512016-10-23T19:10:32Z2016-10-23T19:10:32ZHow to boost the business of science for the benefit of us all<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142614/original/image-20161021-8849-uwo07.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Finding the way from lab bench to patent office can be hard.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">anyaivanova/Shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There has been <a href="http://www.crn.com.au/news/has-turnbulls-ideas-boom-fizzled-out-438663">some talk</a> in recent weeks that Australia’s much-vaunted “<a href="http://www.innovation.gov.au/">ideas boom</a>” may be over before it’s really begun. But the truth is Australian ideas were booming long before the Turnbull government coined the term – and will continue for a long time to come.</p>
<p>Whether it’s finding better ways to <a href="http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/australia_innovates/?Section_id=1040&article_id=10048&behaviour=view_article">dry clothes</a> or <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/harrison-james-2165">keep food cool</a>; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_James_Arnot">extracting precious metals</a> more efficiently; creating <a href="https://csiropedia.csiro.au/polymer-banknotes/">banknotes that are harder to forge</a> or barrels that <a href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/wine-future/research/successes/smart-bungs/">monitor wine as it ages</a>; developing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spray-on_skin">spray-on skin cells</a> or real-time <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/bigideas/stories/2009/07/10/2620279.htm">maps in your phone</a>; developing ways to <a href="http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/australia_innovates/?behaviour=view_article&Section_id=1030&article_id=10040">see unborn babies in the womb</a>; or helping to make <a href="http://www.dst.defence.gov.au/innovation/black-box-flight-recorder/david-warren-inventor-black-box-flight-recorder">air travel</a> <a href="https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/understanding-ip/educational-materials-and-resources/history-australian-innovation">safer</a> – Australia has always been a nation of inventors, innovators, and explorers.</p>
<p>Our great ideas come from throughout society, and from all sectors of the economy. But while scientists, engineers and technologists certainly don’t have a monopoly on innovation, they are responsible for most advances in our understanding of the natural world and in developing new technologies.</p>
<p>Yet it’s also fair to say that academia hasn’t always walked hand in hand with the cultures of venture capital, entrepreneurship and commercial competition. Academics are driven to publish and replicate experimental success, in a long and laborious process that values collaboration over competition. Academic establishment can sometimes believe that <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10961-016-9470-y">entrepreneurialism should be resisted</a>.</p>
<p>There is truth to the cliché of the humble scientist striving for knowledge for its own sake, for the greater good. And it’s also true that entering the world of business, commerce and entrepreneurship can require a completely different mindset.</p>
<h2>More publishing than patenting</h2>
<p>A quick look at some relevant numbers supports this contention. According to data from <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/scopus">Scopus</a>, Australian researchers published more than 54,151 papers about drugs (excluding the topic of addiction) in the area of medicine and pharmacy during the period 2000-13. That’s an avalanche compared with the number of pharmaceutical patents taken out by Australian publicly funded researchers: <a href="https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/sites/g/files/net856/f/pharma_report_2016.pdf">1,197 over the same period</a>. It’s true that not all research publications describe new, patentable products. But it’s also fair to say Australian scientists do much more publishing than patenting. </p>
<p>It’s a similar story in the agricultural and veterinary sciences, where according to data from <a href="http://www.scival.com/">Scival</a>, 7,866 academic papers were published by Australian researchers last year. While <a href="http://ipscience.thomsonreuters.com/">Clarivate Analytics</a> reports that 948 patents were lodged by academic and government organisations, and 2,112 by corporations.</p>
<p>Of course it’s a huge generalisation to say that academics need to get better at turning inventions into investments; indeed, there are plenty of examples of this going very well. Over the past 20 years, the rate of Australian patents originating in Australia has grown for all technology fields except metallurgy and mining technology. According to Clarivate, computer and general IT technology have shown the fastest growth in this area, increasing by 8.8% a year.</p>
<p>The story is even stronger when it comes to Australian academics collaborating with top international companies. Clarivate’s data shows Australia’s research collaboration rate with the 400 top multinationals grew five fold between 2000 and 2015, second only to Singapore.</p>
<h2>Making ideas work</h2>
<p>We have always had the ideas. And many people who came up with those ideas also want to patent their work, and to collaborate more closely with business. The key challenge is helping them to do it. </p>
<p>To that end, <a href="http://www.sta.org.au/">Science & Technology Australia (STA)</a> – Australia’s peak body in science and technology, representing some 60,000 specialists - and of which I am Vice-President - is holding its second annual “<a href="http://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/news/science-meets-business-2016/">Science meets Business</a>” conference in Melbourne today. It will bring together science, technology, engineering, maths and medical (STEMM) researchers of all stripes who are keen to collaborate with the corporate world. It will also feature leaders from across the spectrum of Australian business, from successful startups to multinationals.</p>
<p>The meeting has been hugely oversubscribed – an indication of the eagerness on both sides of the academic/corporate fence to form stronger connections and find better ways to work together.</p>
<p>It’s also an indication of the need to equip our STEMM graduates and workforce with business and entrepreneurial skills. We have heard many stories from academics who would like to strike out on their own and start a business, but don’t know how to take the first step. The Australian Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Forum has recently released a consultation paper with tips for “<a href="https://www.science.org.au/files/userfiles/support/emcr-activities/academia-industry-discussion-paper-consulation-draft.pdf">Starting the Conversation between Academia and Industry</a>”.</p>
<p>We’ve also heard many stories of academics who’ve successfully made that transition – people like Ross Smith, the founder of environmental consulting company <a href="http://www.hydrobiology.biz/">Hydrobiology</a>, and drone pioneer Catherine Ball, whose business leadership <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/telstra-queensland-business-woman-of-year-catherine-ball-wins-for-drone-work-20150929-gjxoai.html">accolades</a> keep piling up. And as academics watch more of their peers successfully become entrepreneurs , they’re <a href="https://spp.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/9/657.abstract">more likely</a> themselves to give business a go.</p>
<p>That’s why the Ideas Boom is welcome. It’s an opportunity to build stronger and more effective business structures, policies and regulations to capitalise on the speed of technological and scientific innovation that’s occurring in our universities and research institutes. It’s an opportunity to turn Australia’s geographic isolation, its “just get on with it” attitude and its spirit of invention, to our best advantage. </p>
<p>It is a chance to equip our STEMM pioneers with the skills to bring their research and technology to the world, and to strengthen our strategic long-term investment in research and design (R&D). The recent <a href="https://www.business.gov.au/assistance/research-and-development-tax-incentive/review-of-the-randd-tax-incentive">Review of the R&D Tax Incentive</a> recommends tax break premiums for companies that actively collaborate with publicly funded research organisations. This move would be a welcome addition to other more formal initiatives to encourage cross-sector collaboration, such as the <a href="http://www.industry.gov.au/industry/IndustryInitiatives/IndustryResearchCollaboration/CRC/Pages/default.aspx">Cooperative Research Centres</a> and <a href="http://www.industry.gov.au/industry/Industry-Growth-Centres/Pages/default.aspx">Industry Growth Centres</a>.</p>
<p>This is not to say that “public good” research and “blue sky” research won’t continue to be the foundation of society’s knowledge base; underpinning our critical requirements for sustainability, and fulfilling our innate human desire to explore. Indeed, “blue sky” discoveries are often the first step towards a patent, a product, a process, or a prize. A rejuvenated Australian economy in which all intellectual endeavours are valued and rewarded, will be one that supports every connection in the innovation chain.</p>
<p>And so we say: bring on the Ideas Boom. Bring on a culture of better communication and collaboration. Bring on more meetings of minds and an expectation that science and technology innovators should work hand-in-hand with business and economic success stories. Bring on a world in which intellect, imagination and bravery are recognised and rewarded.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was coauthored by Kylie Walker, chief executive of <a href="http://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/">Science & Technology Australia</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67451/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Emma Johnston is Vice President of Science and Technology Australia.</span></em></p>Australia has never been short of inventors, scientists aren’t always at home in the ruthless world of commerce. But if they can be given a helping hand, it could help the entire economy.Emma Johnston, Professor and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.