University of Glasgow Connect

Global Glasgow: Research

Professor Chris Pearce, Vice-Principal for Research, shares his thoughts on the importance of global collaboration in the context of our institutional research strategy.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the Climate Emergency are global in scale and universal in their impact. They illustrate how the context in which we do our research is shifting - requiring bold and ambitious ideas that will tackle the biggest challenges facing society. This will place different expectations on our staff and students, and on universities themselves. This also requires new ways of thinking and working – ways that will require us, even more than before, to combine our different skills to tackle these pressing problems. It requires us to be global in our outlook and collaborative in our approach.

"At Glasgow, we have a very internationally connected and collaborative research community, and this is central to our global outlook."

Collaboration

Our institutional Research Strategy 2020—2025 places a premium on collaboration, as one of our three institutional research priorities. It recognises that by combining our ideas with those of others, we can tackle important problems, as well as identify new questions. These are defining aspects of the academic endeavour and make universities such rewarding places to work and study.

Of course, collaboration should not be limited by geography. At Glasgow, we have a very internationally connected and collaborative research community, and this is central to our global outlook. In fact, more than half our research publications have at least one international co-author, and these often have greater reach. But these collaborations are so much more than the publications we produce.

As part of the launch of our new international strategy, Global Glasgow 2025, I had the privilege of convening a panel discussion on international research. I was joined by Professor Ernest Aryeetey, Secretary-General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), Professor Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, and Dr Bryony Wakefield, Director of Research Services at Glasgow. We had a wide ranging and thought-provoking discussion, but a key takeaway message was that successful research collaborations, particularly international ones, depend on mutual respect and recognition for the different contributions that are made to research. This includes understanding our different cultural environments, having open and regular communication, and recognising the shared responsibility for maintaining the relationship. This important message is shaping the actions we take in implementing our international strategy.

"Our international collaborations provide some of the best mechanisms for ideas to be widely shared and improved, and so more likely to make a difference to knowledge and have a positive influence for society."

Creativity

Naturally, great research starts with great ideas; but we also know that this creativity takes time and requires the right conditions. The quality of our research outputs and the lasting impact of our research rests crucially on the ideas that we develop. It is for this reason that creativity is the second of our institutional research priorities. Universities across the globe are full of curious and creative people, yet we need to ensure the opportunities are there for their ideas to emerge and develop. Indeed, our international collaborations provide some of the best mechanisms for ideas to be widely shared and improved, and so more likely to make a difference to knowledge and have a positive influence for society.

Careers

Our third institutional research priority is careers, recognising that the University succeeds when our people succeed. Our ambition of making Glasgow the best place in which to pursue a research career requires us to ensure an environment in which colleagues are supported to fulfil their ambition; one that recruits, supports and rewards a broad range of skills, talents and contributions, and in which we support each other to succeed.

At Glasgow, we place particular emphasis on supporting colleagues to build their international networks at the early stage of their careers. These are often the most enduring and productive collaborations and so need to be encouraged and nurtured. But the COVID-19 pandemic, our need to reduce our travel, particularly international travel, and to support a more diverse research community, means that we must find new ways of building and sustaining these vital international research relationships.

I’ll conclude by stating how proud we are that many of our talented researchers join us from all over the world. We are then equally proud when some then go on, in turn, to become our research partners and collaborators, as their career takes them on to pastures new.