An open, collaborative research network has become the norm for western democracies. Those that do not also invest in international partnerships, or who are thrown out of them, lose access to leading research and related knowledge transfer opportunities.

This study draws on new data from 20,000 academic journals indexed by Clarivate^TM to reveal Russia and China’s contrasting weights when it comes to scientific research and collaboration.

The report finds that while Russia’s science base is weak, deteriorating and marginalised, China is now the world’s biggest spender on research and development, and has become the first or second most important research partner for a wide range of countries, including many in Moscow’s backyard.