Drivers and outcomes of S&T international collaboration activities. A case study of biologists from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Uruguay

GAILLARD, A.M; GAILLARD, JACQUES; RUSSELL, JANE M; GALINA, CARLOS S.; CANESSE, AUDE-ANNABELLE; PELLEGRINI, PABLO; UGARTEMENDÍA, VICTORIA; CARDENAS, PAULA

Research Collaborations between Europe and Latin America: Mapping and Understanding Partnership

Éditions des Archives Contemporaines

Lugar: París; Año: 2013; p. 157 - 191

This article is based on 74 interviews of Latin American scientists conducted in 2009 and 2010 in Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay. All interviewed scientists are working in the field of biology applied to agriculture (or agriculture-related sciences) with a particular emphasis on animal and aquatic resources production and reproduction. They all have (or had) scientific relations with Europe at some stage in their careers. It will also draw on the results of a questionnaire survey (Gaillard, Gaillard and Arvanitis, 2010) carried out at the end of 2010 and answered by 4425 scientists (2550 in Latin America and 1875 in Europe). It aims at analysing and gaining a better understanding of the importance of S&T collaboration at the level of the individual researcher in Latin America through the reconstruction of their personal scientific histories. In particular, it seeks to understand the main determining factors initiating, promoting and enhancing international collaboration in S&T. It also aims at establishing to what extent mobility boosts internationalization their profile and contributes to placing their institution (even their country) in the global stream of scientific knowledge circulation. The analysis of the interviews concludes that there is no single factor driving S&T international cooperation. In most cases, there is a cumulative set of factors and/or actions by multiple actors as well as a range of circumstances that shape the geographical, institutional and thematic focus of international cooperation in S&T. Yet, the most powerful drivers are scientific excellence, mobility and networking capacity. The networking power of conferences and post-doc stays abroad are specifically recognised as crucial instigators of long lasting scientific collaborations. A good personal relationship is also of paramount importance in scientific collaborations. Ultimately, ?You collaborate with friends? and meeting people through collaboration is also acknowledged as a very important reward.