If you were still in any doubt about the added value of international research collaborations, the creation of a vaccine against COVID in record time is a convincing argument. The development of the basic research that led to the production of mRNA vaccines was made possible by open science and high-calibre international collaboration. This is one of the best examples illustrating the importance of working together to tackle the greatest challenges facing our societies today, be they climate change, biodiversity loss, migration, or issues related to sustainable development goals.

In this context, international partnerships appear to be an essential vector for success, prompting governments, academic institutions and researchers to invest considerable time and resources in such initiatives, hoping to maximize the impact of their efforts. Is it worth it? Certainly, provided certain conditions for success are met.

The benefits of a well-thought-out partnership strategy

International research partnerships offer numerous benefits for a whole range of players. For universities and colleges, they represent a way of obtaining more resources, more results and more reach, both through the international-calibre research they carry out and through their alumni networks, which extend across the globe. For the research community, they provide access to massive datasets, a more fluid and regular exchange of expertise, and collaborations that would not always be possible without international funding programs. Students also benefit from the opportunity to work on large-scale projects, to study abroad and, above all, to develop a vast network of international contacts right from the start of their career. All these players work together and support each other to maximize the benefits of such international partnerships.

Québec and Canada are showing strategic vision in this respect by supporting researchers with the potential to rise to the highest level of international excellence. This places us at the forefront on key issues for our society. Coordinated investments by the federal and provincial governments, for example, have helped make Canada an Québec global leaders in artificial intelligence, from design to implementation, including the development of responsible governance through the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute (MILA), IVADO research consortium and the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI (OBVIA).

Other targeted investments in Québec, including the International Francophone network for Science Advice (RFICS), the Québec Circular Economy Research Network (RRECQ) and Oncopole (the FRQ cancer hub), have direct benefits for society in such vital strategic areas as public health, aging, and climate change.

These groups of researchers help pool the forces of change and influence governments at all levels, from local municipalities to the UN. For example, the excellence of the work of researcher Yoshua Bengio and his teams has taken him all the way to the United Nations Scientific Advisory Board, a committee of the Secretary General, one of whose mandates is to support the responsible development of disruptive technologies.

International research networks are expanding rapidly, and there are many opportunities to take the lead within international organizations, particularly in the area of open science. This is what the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) has done, notably by joining coalitions and by supporting the discoverability of scientific publications in French within the international francophone community. Slowly but surely, Québec has become the jurisdiction with the most UNESCO Chairs per capita, with 23 UNESCO Chairs and 1 UNITWIN Network, research infrastructures that are often based on North-South collaboration.

Nor should we hesitate to join forces with groups of partners or supranational organizations, which allow us to collaborate with partners that have fewer resources and boost results, dissemination and mobilization. In this respect, we would like to applaud the recent partnership between Canada and the European Commission, recognizing Canada as a full partner in Horizon Europe and enabling research collaborations under one of its three pillars. Canada’s research community will undoubtedly seize the opportunities this brings.

Conditions for success

However, we must remain cautious regarding the many expectations that international collaborations can raise. Some may prove less than fruitful if the conditions for success are not in place. We must never forget that each stakeholder in the partnership should have equal interest, particularly in South-North collaborations. This is actually the topic of our plenary panel at this year’s CSPC conference. We are organizing this panel with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), which has developed very solid approaches in this regard, in particular for monitoring the impacts of its programs.

Signing an agreement or obtaining an international grant is only the beginning of the adventure: it is then necessary to ensure that everyone’s objectives are met, constantly adjust practices, and listen carefully to detect weak signals. The key to a successful internationalization strategy often lies in a good understanding of government policies and the scientific community, as well as an in-depth knowledge of the international context and geopolitical issues. In this respect, the active monitoring carried out by the scientists-in-residence we have deployed in our Québec delegations abroad is very helpful.

Better recognition of the power of science diplomacy

In closing, we would like to emphasize that government leaders are not yet fully aware of the diplomatic potential of such partnerships and the scientific collaborations they engender. Science diplomacy should feature more prominently in our major international strategies, alongside other ‘soft powers’ such as culture. Research, by its very nature, has an international dimension and often has no need for diplomats to develop, contributing in its own right to a nation’s influence. Sometimes, these collaborations serve as bridges in times of crisis, facilitating cooperation between countries.

In Québec, initiatives like supporting Ukrainian scientists in exile and cooperation programs with Palestine strengthen ties between expatriate scientists and their home communities and contribute directly to diplomacy. In their own way, they support the pacification of our relations. We are building these international partnerships to make Québec a more resilient society, and so that all students in Québec and Canada can see themselves, above all, as students of the world.