Scientific collaboration in Russian universities before and after the excellence initiative Project 5-100

Scientometrics. 2020. Vol. 124. No. 3. P. 2383–2407.

Matveeva N., Ferligoj A.

Changes in patterns of collaboration between Russian universities after the commencement
of the Russian university excellence initiative (Project 5-100) are studied in this paper.
While this project aimed to make leading Russian universities more globally competitive
and improve their research productivity, it also happened to increase their cooperation. An
analysis of affiliations and the co-authorship networks was conducted to explore scientific
collaborations between and within the participating universities. Such analysis facilitates
the investigation of the number of collaborations with other organizations, both domestic
and international cooperation, and disciplinary differences. By analyzing the co-authorship
networks, the position of universities in the academic network and the structure of collaborations
among the participants were examined. A sample of 30 Russian universities,
including participants in Project 5-100 and a control group of institutions with similar
characteristics, was used. After joining the project, the participating universities increased
both their cooperation with each other as well as with foreign universities and research
institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences, especially in the high-quality segment. At
the same time, the collaboration patterns of non-participating universities did not change
significantly. The centrality of Project 5-100 universities in the global academic network
has increased, along with their visibility and coupling in the national network. The historical
division between university and academic sectors has diminished, while the participating
universities have started to play a more important role in knowledge production within
the country.

Keywords: social network analysis, Scientific collaboration, Blockmodeling, university excellence initiatives, Co-authorship networks

Publication based on the results of: ­­­ Analysis of incentives and preferences of economic agents in higher education, in the banking services and in public procurement (2020)