Why we fund international collaboration

Research has always been an international endeavour and international collaboration is an important aspect of the work of RCUK.

RCUK facilitates international collaboration by bringing together the best researchers and facilities wherever they are placed in the world.

By engaging internationally we:

• widen the scope of research by linking researchers with different skills and expertise;

• enhance the experience of researchers by enabling them to engage with partners overseas; introducing them to new skills and ideas, especially early in a career so as to lay the foundation for career-long collaborations;

• enable participation in large-scale research that requires international collaboration to share the cost of expensive facilities and manage large volumes of data;

• increase the impact of research – collaboration with international partners brings significant gains in citation impact;

• address global issues – many major research challenges, such as climate change, sustainable energy, health and security, require international solutions;

• gain access to unique data – some phenomena are unique to a single location and many research questions span multiple sites;

• promote the UK as a research destination – the quality of research, facilities and people makes the UK an attractive international partner for researchers and industry.