Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31506256›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2019

Evaluating the implications of Brexit for research collaboration and policy: a network analysis and simulation study.

George Garas, Isabella Cingolani, Vanash M Patel, Pietro Panzarasa, Ara Darzi, Thanos Athanasiou

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

George GarasDepartment of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, St. Mary's Hospital, London, UK g.garas@imperial.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0001-7468-3287
Isabella CingolaniBig Data and Analytical Unit, Imperial College London, St. Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
Vanash M PatelDepartment of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, St. Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
Pietro PanzarasaSchool of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7596-4806
Ara DarziDepartment of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, St. Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
Thanos AthanasiouDepartment of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, St. Mary's Hospital, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate the role of the European Union (EU) as a research collaborator in the UK's success as a global leader in healthcare research and innovation and quantify the impact that Brexit may have.

designNetwork and regression analysis of scientific collaboration, followed by simulation models based on alternative scenarios.

settingInternational real-world collaboration network among all countries involved in robotic surgical research and innovation.

participants772 organisations from industry and academia nested within 56 countries and connected through 2397 collaboration links.

main outcome measuresResearch impact measured through citations and innovation value measured through the innovation index.

resultsGlobally, the UK ranks third in robotic surgical innovation, and the EU constitutes its prime collaborator. Brokerage opportunities and collaborators' geographical diversity are associated with a country's research impact (c=211.320 and 244.527, respectively; p<0·01) and innovation (c=18.819 and 30.850, respectively; p<0·01). Replacing EU collaborators with US ones is the only strategy that could benefit the UK, but on the condition that US collaborators are chosen among the top-performing ones, which is likely to be very difficult and costly, at least in the short term.

conclusionsThis study suggests what has long been argued, namely that the UK-EU research partnership has been mutually beneficial and that its continuation represents the best possible outcome for both negotiating parties. However, the uncertainties raised by Brexit necessitate looking beyond the EU for potential research partners. In the short term, the UK's best strategy might be to try and maintain its academic links with the EU. In the longer term, strategic relationships with research powerhouses, including the USA, China and India, are likely to be crucial for the UK to remain a global innovation leader.

Indexed as

Diffusion of InnovationBiotechnologyEuropean UnionHealth PolicyHumansNational Health ProgramsRobotic Surgical ProceduresUnited Kingdombrexitimpactinnovationnetwork analysisresearchsimulation

Identifiers

PMID31506256
PMCPMC6747879

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.