Science Beyond Borders: International Collaborations in Basic Sciences

International collaboration in basic sciences allows researchers from different countries to pool their expertise, knowledge, and resources. This combined effort tackles complex scientific challenges that might be beyond the intellectual, technical, and financial capabilities of a single nation. It fosters the sharing of data and ideas, accelerates scientific progress and leads to breakthroughs that benefit all of humanity.

This was established in tackling COVID-19; establishment of CERN; building of LHC, ITER, FAIR, LIGO, SKA, TMT, scores of terrestrial and space telescopes, International Space Station; Space Missions; discovery of Higgs boson; discovery of gravitational waves; green revolution; understanding of weather and monsoon in a rapidly warming world; and spread of modern technology and education across the world, etc.

The most challenging problem facing the world now is climate change, which can only be solved if every nation cooperates and contributes to mitigation measures and research outlined by scientists from across the world. This presents us with a huge existential challenge, which can only be met when each one of us contributes to the spirit of the entire world being one family, and with the conviction of futility of conflict.

If we fail to rise to the occasion, our very survival on this planet would become extremely difficult and near impossible. This book will be of interest to science policymakers in industry or government, as well as laypersons interested in the history of science, cosmology, particle physics or scientific collaborations.