The Countries Maintaining Research Ties with Russia Despite Ukraine
The Countries Maintaining Research Ties with Russia Despite Ukraine
Many Western nations are severing scientific links - but it's a different story in China, India and South Africa.
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Many Western nations are severing scientific links - but it's a different story in China, India and South Africa.
If the vaunted features of science that are used rhetorically to promote and justify its status as an aid to international affairs are truly valued, it would be precisely in the most trying circumstances that science diplomacy should remain a viable alternative.
The UK has followed much of the rest of Europe and announced its own scientific sanctions against Russia, leaving the US, which has still not issued any centralised guidance, increasingly isolated in its inaction. After reviewing its Russian links, the UK has said its research and innovation funding organisations will not start any new projects with Russia. Payments to existing projects "with a Russian dimension" have been paused pending an assessment of which ones "benefit the Russian regime."
Russian scientists who oppose the war against Ukraine say that while they have some understanding of the reasons for European scientific sanctions, stopping international collaboration may be counterproductive in the long term.
As sanctions take effect following its invasion of Ukraine, Russia risks its standing in the research world.
As the world cuts Russia off from more and more joint research and innovation projects following its invasion of Ukraine, there's been deafening silence from the ITER megaproject that is seeking to demonstrate the potential of nuclear fusion by building the world's largest tokamak in south west France.
As Ukrainian refugee numbers mount, universities in Europe are starting to grapple with how best to help the Ukrainian academic community.
The European University Association (EUA) has suspended 12 Russian universities whose rectors signed a statement supporting president Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and parroting the Kremlin's justification for the assault.
The goal is to get Russian scientists to "look at the facts".
The European Commission has suspended payments to Russian institutions involved in EU-funded research and innovation projects. In addition, the EU will not launch any new cooperation projects with Russian universities, research institutes and companies.
"We respect Ukrainian statehood … and we treat the European choice of our neighbours with understanding." So said some 650 Russian scientists and science journalists in an open letter last week criticising Moscow's onslaught against Ukraine.
Governments, universities and individual academics across Europe over are being forced to choose whether to cut research ties with Russia after Moscow shocked the scientific community with its assault on Ukraine. Germany, Russia's second biggest research collaborator after the US, has said it will halt all scientific cooperation, while the UK is reviewing its links.
"We respect Ukrainian statehood … and we treat the European choice of our neighbours with understanding." So said some 650 Russian scientists and science journalists in an open letter last week criticising Moscow's onslaught against Ukraine.
A leading German member of the European Parliament urged the EU to sever all scientific relations with Russia, stepping up pressure from Berlin to use science as a diplomatic weapon against Moscow.
Discussions are underway in Brussels over whether Russia should be cut out of future Horizon Europe projects after president Vladimir Putin recognised two separatist-held parts of Ukraine as sovereign states and requested permission from parliament to send in troops on a mission.
Researchers say that conflict will hinder progress made since Ukraine's revolution in 2014.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs says "forced" consensus on climate change is not favorable to Russia.
It's been described as the 'tip of the iceberg' when it comes to unethical practices in Russian academia.