Research has always been an international endeavour. In an increasingly globalised
world, the UK Government has the aspiration that the UK should be the most attractive
location for science and innovation, both in terms of attracting researchers and
forging research collaborations and in terms of private sector investment in R&D.
These aspirations are set out in the UK's Strategy for International Engagement
in R&D
The Research Councils play an important role in achieving this vision and ensuring
that the UK remains at the forefront of international research, investing in collaborative
research, fellowships, networking and travel awards to promote collaboration. The
Research Councils' plans and priorities are contained in the
Research Councils UK international strategy
,
published in July 2007.
Each UK Research Council also has its own international strategy setting out
in more detail their international priorities and research and postgraduate training
opportunities.
Many other UK bodies such as the Royal Society, British Academy and British Council
also fund fellowships, networking and travel awards to promote international research
collaboration.