International research partnerships: comparing strategies of flagship universities in Canada, China, and Russia

Abstract

Research universities depend on a number of resource providers shaping academic responses to the opportunities of global outreach and collaboration. The literature provides a number of evidences how resource dependence influences decisions of universities about their partnership strategies. The previous research however overlooks the complexity of resource structures in the internationalization of university collaborations. Resources are often interpreted as cash flows. Funding has been widely discussed in the studies of higher education as the roles of the state recede and those of private donors increase. The intangible assets in the development of competitive advantages in the internationalization of research remain however scantly investigated and conceptualized. This paper looks into the roles of human capital, intellectual property, legal frameworks, social perceptions, cultures and collaborative infrastructures to discuss multiple layers of the resource structures in the internationalization of research. It also explores correlations between tangible and intangible assets that universities and governments employ. By comparing partnership strategies embedded in the policy contexts and resource structures of flagship universities in Canada, China and Russia, the study discusses a number of variables that shape institutional responses to globalization.