International Science Engagement Fact Sheet 

KEY POINTS

• Australia contributes approximately 3% of the world's new knowledge (as measured by publication rates). [1] Approximately 97% of scientific discoveries are made overseas, making Australia (like most countries, with notable exceptions such as the USA) a net importer of knowledge.
• International engagement is essential to ensuring that Australia's innovation system is 'world class'.  Engagement and integration with the global science system enables Australian researchers to achieve more that they could on their own, including by providing them with access to knowledge, networks, technologies, skills, and research infrastructure that are not available domestically.
• The increasing globalisation of science and research, and the need to respond to global problems, such as climate change and energy security, are leading to greater international research engagement.  The complexity, cost and accelerating time-to-market of leading-edge technological development also means that participation in global research is vital if Australia is to access new discoveries, and improve the economic and social well-being of its citizens.  
• Australia possesses research strengths in many areas (such as marine sciences, agriculture, astronomy, nanotechnology and biomedicine), and through international collaboration, researchers working in Australia in these areas have made important contributions to world knowledge.  
• Worldwide, international research collaboration is growing strongly, as demonstrated by the share of research papers involving authors from more than one country.  In 2008, 43 per cent of all papers with an Australian author possessed an international co-author, an increase from 37 per cent in 2001. [2] Australian researchers do not collaborate as extensively as their colleagues in many European countries but conduct more collaborative work than researchers in the US and Asian countries.
• Most international research collaboration occurs without direct Government intervention.  In Australia, programs administered by the ARC and CSIRO, along with the Cooperation Research Centres program, were recently made more accessible to researchers overseas.
• The Australian Government provides support for international research collaboration through dedicated programs such as the International Science Linkages program and the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund, as well as through programs supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and through the provision of dedicated staff at Australia's overseas Embassies in Brussels, New Delhi and Beijing.  
• To make the most effective and strategic use of its resources for international research collaboration, the Australian Government focuses its efforts towards important bilateral relationships, including those with China, India and the European Union.

References

1. Thomson Reuters Web of Science
2. Thomson Reuters Web of Science