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Global geopolitics should not stall science — 5 ways to push back

Researchers, funders, universities and governments must work together to build scientific collaborations that are resilient to rapidly evolving international sanctions.
By
  1. James Oliver Scott Hammond

    1. James Oliver Scott Hammond is professor of geophysics at the School of Natural Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, UK.

  2. Jean-Christophe Mauduit

    1. Jean-Christophe Mauduit is an associate professor of science diplomacy at the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP), University College London, London, UK.

A group of people descending a long staircase in the caldera of a volcano with a lake in the distance

Mount Paektu, a volcano on the North Korea–China border, has long been studied by UK and North Korean scientists working together. Credit: Clive Oppenheimer

Pressing challenges, from the climate emergency to pandemic preparedness, demand concerted efforts at the global scale. But the growth in the use of international sanctions since the Second World War1, although mostly targeted at economic growth and military capacity, has also affected science and scientific cooperation (see ‘Science, restricted’ and Supplementary information for raw data). Many nations have suspended publicly funded collaborations with the scientific institutions of several countries, including Iran, North Korea and Russia.

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Nature 645, 312-314 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02814-1

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Supplementary Information

  1. Table of contents and acknowledgements
  2. Source data for the graphic 'Science, restricted'

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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