Consisting of both industrialized and developing countries, the main focus of the G20 is the governance of the global economy. Over the years, however, the intergovernmental forum has been working towards addressing other related global challenges as well, such as climate crisis mitigation, sustainable development, and affordable health care. But addressing these challenges cannot be furthered without science.
Science – both basic and applied – will have to play a key role if we are to achieve the economic growth required to pull millions out of poverty while ensuring that development is inclusive and sustainable. However, scientific advancements alone are not enough. The grand challenges of today and tomorrow – the climate crisis, pandemics, energy security, water management and food shortage – cannot be addressed by any one nation on its own. It requires the cooperation of all stakeholders so that experiences and breakthroughs in science and technology can be shared with each other.
Collaborations in research make the endeavor of science a richer experience and its outcomes more productive. A collaborative approach to problem solving often ensures interdisciplinary thinking and is more likely to bridge the gap between science (and technology) and society.
Consider our fight against Covid-19. Collaborations and partnerships emerged as significant weapons in our battle against the pandemic. Within a span of a few months, we were able to better understand the biology of the virus and develop diagnostics and treatments for Covid-19. This has been largely due to the cooperation of scientists, governments, industry, and international institutions, irrespective of their country of origin. Vaccine development and distribution, in particular, is a shining example of how cross-border and public-private partnerships can be a win-win for all.
Another example of an international scientific collaboration is the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, heralded as one of the most ambitious human collaborations since the International Space Station. The countries involved in the project are also G20 members.
But given the magnitude of our challenges, much more needs to be done by the global scientific community. With its scientific infrastructure, the G20 is well-placed to promote the culture of collaborative research. In a 2019 analysis, the G20 countries, representing two-thirds of the world’s population, contributed 70% of global research papers tracked by Web of Science over three years. These countries employ 87% of researchers globally. There is, therefore, a tremendous scope for leveraging this scientific talent to address society’s pressing challenges.
A way to ensure the success of international cooperation among G20 members is establishing mechanisms that encourage open access and open sharing of scientific results, products and technologies. Last year, 193 member-States of Unesco adopted the Unesco Recommendation on Open Science, which “defines shared values and principles for open science to ensure that everyone can participate in science and benefit from scientific progress.”
Cooperation between researchers and policymakers from G20 countries will also have a significant role to play in addressing the issue of unequal access to digital technologies. If the digital divide between and within G20 countries can be bridged, it will transform the lives of millions of people and unleash the potential of entrepreneurship in these countries. At the Trieste G20 meeting in 2021, the members declared that they will focus on “increasing access to research and higher education for all, strengthening digital skills, and addressing the digital divide in research and higher education and mitigating the security risks in digital environments in an inclusive and equitable manner.”
Another crucial factor that can help address global challenges is increased interaction of academics and governments with industry. Corporations and organizations, especially those that have commercial footprints in multiple countries, can collaborate with researchers in G20 countries to rapidly translate research findings into patents and products. Corporations can work together with scientists to advance the frontiers of emerging fields, and encourage human resource development through traineeships, internships and exchange of researchers. But increasing collaboration with industry requires a framework that will help scientists move seamlessly between different organizations and from their institutes to corporate spaces and back. The framework must also ensure and encourage intellectual property sharing and dissemination across organizations in the G20 countries.
Yet another important driver of international research collaborations is science philanthropy. Currently, philanthropists contribute more than $2 billion per year towards scientific advancement. It has been estimated that if we include university endowments that support research at these institutions, the total impact of philanthropy is around $20 billion. In the coming years, it will play a more vital role in shaping scientific enterprise and can also drive research collaborations. The Wellcome Trust, for example, has been supporting frontier research in several countries for decades. Their Wellcome Leap programme, supported by philanthropic donations from the Trust, connects 650,000 scientists and engineers from over 70 organizations across six continents. In the last couple of years alone, several ambitious projects in human health have been supported to the tune of more than $300 million.
However, none of the steps that have been suggested to create an ecosystem of meaningful and sustainable scientific collaboration will bear fruit unless it is guided by a robust policy with clear strategic goals. A coherent policy framework in research among G20 countries will make collaborations among the various stakeholders more effective, increase the ease of data and knowledge sharing, facilitate the transfer of technologies, blur traditional boundaries of science and encourage interdisciplinary research, reduce bureaucratic red tape, and augment funding opportunities.
Govindan Rangarajan is director, Indian Institute of Science
The views expressed are personal
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