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Short abstract:

Scientific sanctions imposed on Russia in 2022 significantly affect institutional ties in the nuclear fusion community. Withheld collaboration exacerbates pre-existing trends and leads to multi-polar networks. The stabilising role is played by the global institution -- ITER.

Long abstract:

Sanctions imposed on Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine threatened the institutions upholding the research collaborations in the nuclear fusion community. Nuclear fusion is a rare case where the field development relies on big science instruments and their facilitating institutions – most notably the experimental-reactor-under-construction ITER. Close political, institutional, and scientific bonds have provided the nuclear fusion community with many opportunities to grow and may enhance the community’s resilience to political tensions in some instances. However, at the same time, they may render the community more vulnerable in others.

Our study examines the impact of such changes employing a novel method combining network and document analysis. Using statements by governments and scientific institutions, we built a model depicting policies for research collaboration with Russia after the invasion, showing a spectrum of reactions ranging from restricting [e.g. EU] to encouraging collaboration [e.g. China]. Using this model, we constructed and analysed bibliometric networks to discover collaboration trends and compare pre-sanction and post-sanction collaboration structures.

We identify three pre-sanction trends: (1) weakening collaboration between the US and Russia, (2) growing in-house capacity of China, (3) collaboration becoming less international. We show that the sanctions exacerbate the trends and lead to the combined effect of multi-polarization, but the collaboration network is kept together by ITER. Our study illustrates how institutions facilitate collaboration networks but also constrain them. The collapse of institutional bonds creates an opportunity for new collaboration structures and, therefore, new research strategies in a field.