An Evaluation of Researcher Motivations and Productivity Outcomes in International Collaboration and Partnerships at a U.S. Research-Intensive University

Abstract

This paper examines factors that influence faculty at a research-intensive U.S. public land grant university to engage in international collaborations and partnerships. Using a mixed-mode (web, mail, and telephone) survey, we collected data from 764 researchers at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA, to provide a baseline and current context of demographic characteristics, motivations, barriers, and academic outcomes in relation to international research collaboration. Our results suggest that funding, reduced organizational and institutional barriers, effective institutional support, previous global experience, and research outcomes can encourage faculty to engage in international collaboration. We also found that faculty involved in international collaboration, on average, exhibited higher productivity and a positive correlation with scholarly output, especially through joint publications and student training. The results of this study may provide a reference for research-intensive institutions interested in optimizing their internationalization agendas through partnerships, and examining their policies, strategies, and messaging to increase faculty engagement in collaborative research that promotes co-creation, reciprocity, mutually beneficial partnership, and organizational transformation.