Tech innovation fuels global scientific collaboration

Editor's note: Keke Gai is a professor in the School of Cyberspace and Science and Technology at the Beijing Institute of Technology. Jing Yu is an associate professor in the School of Information Engineering at the Minzu University of China. The article reflects the authors' opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In recent years, accelerated technological innovation has demonstrated that many new technologies are evolving at a faster pace than anticipated. Compared to traditional technological innovation, the iterative upgrades of technology have given rise to numerous novel forms of innovation across various fields, which have profoundly changed our understanding of scientific progress and are influencing the definition of research methodologies in many domains.

The 2024 Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry were both bestowed upon experts in the realm of AI. This may suggest that an increasing number of novel research paradigms will emerge in the future. Moreover, we can observe that the merits of these new research methods in collaborative innovation, particularly when utilizing new scientific research tools. As the “threshold” for modern cutting-edge technologies continues to rise with technological accumulation and upgrades, this trend has also prompted reflections on technological collaboration. How future technological innovation can foster global technology sharing and advancement is a question meriting attention.

Besides the contributions of large AI models to technological collaboration, many emerging technologies have advantages in achieving multipartite collaboration, which provides multiple institutes with the foundation of the platform. For example, the emergence of federated learning (FL) technology provides an option for multi-institution collaborative computing. As a distributed machine learning framework, participants in FL do not need to share raw data; instead, participants can engage in joint model training by interacting with intermediate model parameters. Thus, the technology has benefits in balancing sensitive data protections and data sharing analysis. From the perspective of international technological collaboration, FL offers a feasible open-source environment and addresses the issue of data sensitivity in cross-border cooperation. 

If we consider the development of communication technologies, such as 5G and 6G, in recent years, it is evident that these technological advancements have furnished high-speed, low-latency data transmission capabilities, thereby creating more opportunities for international technological cooperation. Due to advancements in network technology, we have witnessed an increasing utilization of technologies, such as virtual reality, metaverse, and digital twins in multinational cooperation. The use of these new technologies has greatly facilitated network-based industrial production and R&D. For instance, the development of the Industrial Internet and Cyber-Physical Systems has facilitated the data collection and application upgrades of distributed complex systems, with this advantage being particularly prominent in the multi-country cooperation context.

Furthermore, blockchain technology also provides significant support for international technological collaboration. Given blockchain technology's advantages in data tampering-resistant and trustworthiness, leveraging blockchain technology helps to enhance the transparency of international technological collaboration and improve security of data sharing. A blockchain-based traceability platform can assist in establishing a scientific research resource-sharing platform, which contributes to more fair and efficient sharing of scientific and technological resources. Thanks to the decentralization nature of blockchain technology, utilizing blockchain platforms also facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration, offering an open, trustworthy, and equitable environment for multinational and multidisciplinary scientific research collaboration.

In recent years, the Chinese government has been dedicated to promoting global technological innovation collaboration, implementing the pivotal concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and creating an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory environment for scientific and technological innovation. According to publicly available information, China has established scientific and technological cooperation relations with over 160 countries and regions and inked more than 100 bilateral and multilateral government-to-government scientific and technological cooperation agreements. Under the "Belt and Road" initiative, China has signed government-to-government scientific and technological cooperation agreements with more than 80 partner countries to jointly propel scientific and technological innovation collaboration. It is evident that the Chinese government has made tremendous efforts in international scientific and technological cooperation.

In summary, the role of technological advancements in promoting international scientific and technological collaboration is multifaceted. Recognizing the significance of emerging technologies in international technological collaboration and effectively harnessing them to propel international scientific and technological development aligns with the interests of all people.

(Cover via CFP)