The Chinese New Silk Road initiative offers unique opportunities for setting up Sino-European research collaborations. Academic cooperation between countries that are rooted in completely different legal, cultural, and academic backgrounds might however also create new challenges. This article investigates the impact of these differences in the field of the protection of personal data, which is a topic that is currently high on the EU's agenda. Whereas the protection of personal data is engrained in the European Union's legal framework, this is not the case in China. This might be problematic, given the fact that scientific collaboration often entails the exchange of (sensitive) personal data. We explore to what extent the General Data Protection Regulation still allows the transfer of such data for scientific purposes to China. After having analyzed the Chinese system in light of the European legislation, we conclude that the sharing of personal data with China is challenging at a minimum. Until more stable legal arrangements are set up in order to facilitate such practices, it is important to share only anonymized data or to acquire consent of the data subject.
The New Silk Road initiative offers unique opportunities for setting up Sino–European collaborations in higher education and research. Academic cooperation between countries that are rooted in different legal, cultural, and academic backgrounds might, however, also create challenges. Although the European Union is strongly promoting Open Science and—within that framework—open and fair data, it is clear that Open Science is only possible in an open society, in which fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are protected. In this light, the chapter investigates the implications of the European personal data protection rules (GDPR) for Sino–European collaborations. To what extent are free flows of personal data possible on the New Silk Road? It concludes that the current differences between both regimes create considerable obstacles on the Road. The chapter explores the necessary restrictions, technological solutions, and legal arrangements that might be helpful in facilitating collaborations that comply with the European rules.
In this essay, based on a key note presentation during the IUC 50th anniversary conference on fostering inclusive internationalisation, the necessity is explored of internationalisation and of inclusive internationalisation in research and education. It is argued that there is not such a thing as national science and that the global challenge we face only can be addressed through international cooperation. The present situation however is far from ideal and there are serious barriers and hurdles for inclusive internationalisation in scientific cooperation. At the same time there are promising counter strategies; related for instance to the Open Science movement, through changing funding schemes and, in particular, by concrete action of universities themselves.
In this essay, based on a key note presentation during the IUC 50th anniversary conference on fostering inclusive internationalisation, the necessity is explored of internationalisation and of inclusive internationalisation in research and education. It is argued that there is not such a thing as national science and that the global challenge we face only can be addressed through international cooperation. The present situation however is far from ideal and there are serious barriers and hurdles for inclusive internationalisation in scientific cooperation. At the same time there are promising counter strategies; related for instance to the Open Science movement, through changing funding schemes and, in particular, by concrete action of universities themselves.
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