Same-Same but Different? The Political Economy of Global Research Collaboration in East Asia and the Rediscovery of Basic Science

The world map of science is being redrawn as the emergent economies of East Asia join the established science powers of the West by creating world-class research infrastructures. After decades of application-oriented S&T policy, China and South Korea, for instance, now look for excellence in basic research. What are the implications of this reshuffling for global R&D? In this interdisciplinary workshop, academics and practitioners from several countries and academic disciplines explore the workings of global research collaboration and review East Asia’s re-orientation toward basic science. Do collaborative research projects between Europe and China bring about idiosyncrasies that unite different normative understandings and motivations? What do policy-makers and academics in East Asia expect from the shift toward basic science? How is academic excellence defined, and what does it take to achieve it? As researchers from East Asia turn from fast-followers to collaborators at eye-level (and possibly strong competitors), the political economy of globalized science may need be reconsidered.