Virtual, in-person conferences spur scientific collaboration

By The Science Advisory Board staff writers

October 10, 2022 -- Scientists who interact with others during assigned sessions at conferences are more likely to form productive collaborations than scientists who do not, according to Northwestern University researchers. And the results apply whether the conference is in-person or virtual.

The researchers developed a mathematical model to understand and predict how scientists form collaborations at both in-person and virtual conferences (Physical Review Research, October 4, 2022). They validated the model with data from Scialogs, a series of scientific conferences organized by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. They tracked interaction patterns among hundreds of scientists during 12 multiday, in-person Scialog conferences over the span of five years, including room-level participation data.

They found interactions in assigned conference sessions were a significant predictor of future collaborations; these scientists interacted with one another 63% more than participants who did not form collaborations at in-person conferences. Also, participants who interacted with others in small group settings (two to four people) at in-person conferences were eight times more likely to form new collaborations than those who did not join small group discussions.

The study team also applied the mathematical model to six virtual Scialog conferences and found virtual conferences were just as effective, if not more so, at sparking collaborations. Participants who formed collaborations at virtual conferences interacted two times more than those who did not.

The results matter because science isn't conducted by individuals anymore; it's interdisciplinary and multi-institutional, the authors said. Conferences are where scientists can meet other researchers who they might never have met otherwise.

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