Jonathan Adams Speaking at Japan-UK Conference – “Are International Collaborations Effective in Improving Research Strength?”

The British Council is hosting a symposium centred around international collaboration and the nature of its impact on research and Digital Science’s Chief Scientist, Jonathan Adams, has been invited to speak at the event. The conference is the second in the British Council’s Japan-UK Dialogue Series and will take place on December 9th at the JP Tower Hall & Conference in Tokyo.

DESCRIPTION:

A wide range of international activities are being undertaken by universities in each country, and amid moves to increase the international mobility of students and academics, raising the international competitiveness of a university’s teaching and research is said to be a key issue for management. Furthermore, it goes without saying that such moves to increase international competitiveness cannot succeed without international exchange, and so many universities are already engaging in a range of bilateral and multilateral activities. However, are such international collaborations between universities truly effective in improving their research strength?

In order to address this issue, the symposium will take as its principal theme the question “What do international partnerships mean in the context of a university’s research activities?” Based on the questions above, it aims to provide an opportunity to begin thinking about the value of these partnerships, as well as the means of drawing it out.

The speakers will include Professor Sir Steve Smith (Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Exeter) and Dr Jonathan Adams (Chief Scientist, Digital Science) from the UK, who see this expansion of research collaborations internationally as “The Fourth Age of Research”; and Dr Seitaro Mutoh (Deputy Director, Research Administration Office, Kyoto University) from Japan. These speakers’ presentations and panel discussion will look at issues surrounding international collaboration and the quality and content of research from many angles, and are sure to provide new perspectives for everyone thinking about the internationalisation of university management, the allocation of resources for international research activities or ways of becoming involved with such activities.

PROGRAMME:

14:30-14:35: Greetings by the conference organiser

Jeff Streeter, Director, British Council Japan

14:35-15:30: “The Fourth Age of Research”: implications and actions for global universities’

Professor Sir Steve Smith, The Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Exeter
Dr Jonathan Adams, Chief Scientist, Digital Science

Professor Sir Steve Smith and Dr Jonathan Adams will be exploring the central importance of international research collaboration to the future success of global universities, particularly in light of growing research concentration worldwide – what Dr Jonathan Adams has termed the ‘The Fourth Age of Research’.  Sir Steve will argue that the probability of reaching significantly greater than the world average level of citations increases markedly if research is undertaken by academics working in more than one country.  Following this, Dr Adams will present compelling evidence on the performance of Japanese and UK universities in internationally collaborative research, and will make recommendations on how universities can improve their global position including an early view on which disciplinary areas present the two countries with the most opportunities to collaborate. Sir Steve will conclude by setting out the challenge for university leaders: to advocate the importance of creating the governance, the structures and the funding opportunities to make the fourth age of research a reality in our own institutions, and to argue the case for continued investment in the research base with our respective governments.

15:30-16:00: “The advancement of international joint research, from the standpoint of support for research promotion”

Dr Seitaro Muto, Deputy Director, Research Administration Office, Kyoto University

Dr Seitaro Muto will consider the following points, based on Kyoto University’s record of support for research promotion and a comparative understanding of Japan and the UK:

• The current state of structures to support research, such as URAs (university research administrators)
• The value expected from international joint research, and initiatives to further it
• Issues going forward

16:00-16:30: Japan-UK partnerships by field

Ms Elizabeth Hogben, Head of Science and Innovation Network Japan, British Embassy Tokyo

Ms Elizabeth Hogben will look at the current state of Japan-UK partnerships in each field, and expectations for future partnerships.

16:30-16:45: Break

16:45-18:30: Panel Discussion

Panellists

• Dr Jonathan Adams, Chief Scientist, Digital Science
• Ms Elizabeth Hogben, Head of Science and Innovation Network Japan, British Embassy Tokyo
• Dr Seitaro Muto, Deputy Director, Research Administration Office, Kyoto University
• Professor Sir Steve Smith, The Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Exeter

Facilitator: Ms Chie Sato, President, Biztech Inc.

The participants will discuss the topics of the above presentations in more depth, basing their discussion on the following points:

• Ways to take international joint research forward in order to improve research strength
• Universities’ future missions and research strategies