BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The cross-border mobility and synergy of top scientists are becoming a key variable in reshaping the global innovation ecosystem, said a report on global scientists mobility and collaboration recently issued by a Beijing-based thinktank.
The report, titled 2026 Global Mobility and Collaboration of Top Scientists, was published by the Beijing Institute of Talent Development Strategy, according to the China Science Daily on Friday.
Based on Elsevier's Scopus global research data, it provided a systematic analysis of cross-regional mobility among the world's top scientists over the past two years from multiple dimensions including intercontinental, national, urban, and disciplinary perspectives. It also detailed the mobility patterns and the collaborative networks formed during the process.
The report showed that against the backdrop of deepening technological globalization and increasingly dense international research cooperation networks, the cross-border mobility and synergy of top scientists who possess broad academic influence and outstanding innovation capabilities are becoming a key variable in reshaping the global innovation ecosystem.
It found that the average career age of global top scientists is 19.9 years, with 82.8 percent of international mobility occurring within the first 30 years of their careers, and 47.5 percent concentrated between the 11th and 20th years. Taking the average PhD graduation age of 31 as a reference, the age for high-frequency international mobility and collaboration among top scientists ranges from 42 to 51.
The report also found that globally mobile top scientists publish under the affiliations of academic institutions, medical institutions, and enterprises at rates of 99.1 percent, 23.3 percent, and 7.2 percent, respectively. More than one-quarter of top scientists have multi-institutional affiliation records, indicating a strong trend of collaboration among institutions.
At the intercontinental level, the inflow and outflow scales of Asia, Europe, and North America are all at high levels. Asia saw an inflow of 2,158 and outflow of 2,018. Europe saw an inflow of 2,057 and outflow of 2,056, and North America witnessed an inflow of 1,901 and outflow of 1,908. The inflow and outflow across all continents are basically balanced, reflecting the equilibrium of intercontinental scientific research cooperation.
At the national level, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands stand out for their significant inflows and outflows of scientific talent.
The field of computer science exhibits a highly balanced intercontinental cooperation. The combined cooperation share of Asia, Europe, and North America reaches 83.5 percent, with inflows and outflows across each continent remaining basically balanced. Computer science is also one of the fields with relatively high activity levels of top scientists participating in international mobility and collaboration. ■
