The Emergence and Development of Cross National Knowledge Sharing: Case Studies of International Collaborative Projects in South Korea

• In Event: Doing Science in Asia: Linkages and Tensions

Abstract

While most studies on international research collaboration have centered on macro-level analysis as well as symmetric partners, this proposed study offers a micro-level comparative analysis of international research collaboration projects between researchers from countries of varying degrees of development. Using the methodologies of document analyses, participant observation and semi-structured interviews in mechanical engineering laboratories in South Korea, which have on-going joint research projects with the United States and Tanzania, this proposed study will discuss national-, institutional-, and individual-level contexts that contributes to the emergence and development of international collaborative projects between the United States and Korea, and Tanzania and Korea. My contemporary and comparative study on international joint research projects between the United States and Korea, and Tanzania and Korea entails a narrative and in-depth analysis derived from science and technology studies (STS) that highlight the importance of understanding socially negotiated aspects of science and technology. The close investigation of laboratories including conferences and meetings of researchers involved in the collaborative projects as well as interviews with collaborators will contribute to identifying the knowledge-sharing process within a black box. In addition, the analysis of participant observation and interviews will show the dynamic aspects of international research collaborations among researchers from countries of varying degrees of development.

Author

• SOO A LEE, Georgia Institute of Technology