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China–US scientific collaboration in nanotechnology: patterns and dynamics

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Abstract

This paper examines the rapid growth of China in the field of nanotechnology and the rise of collaboration between China and the US in this emerging domain. Chinese scientific papers in nanotechnology are analyzed to indicate overall trends, leading fields and the most prolific institutions. Patterns of China–US nanotechnology paper co-authorship are examined over the period 1990–2009, with an analysis of how these patterns have changed over time. The paper combines bibliometric analysis and science mapping. We find rapid development in the number of China–US co-authored nanotechnology papers as well as structural changes in array of collaborative nanotechnology sub-fields. Implications for both China and the US of this evolving relationship are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (National Science Foundation Awards 0531194 and 0937591). The findings and observations contained in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Li Tang & Philip Shapira

  2. School of Public Economics and Administration, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, 777 Guoding Road, 200433, Shanghai, P.R. China

    Li Tang

  3. Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL , UK

    Philip Shapira

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  1. Li Tang
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  2. Philip Shapira
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Correspondence to Philip Shapira.

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Li Tang and Philip Shapira contributed equally to this work.

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Tang, L., Shapira, P. China–US scientific collaboration in nanotechnology: patterns and dynamics. Scientometrics 88, 1–16 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0376-z

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