Universities have not ¡°risen to the challenge¡± of collaboration as much as might have been hoped in the fight against Covid-19 in part because of a push to ¡°get there first¡± on solutions like a vaccine, according to the vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

Speaking at Times Higher Education¡¯s World Academic Summit, Stephen Toope said that although geopolitical tensions were partly to blame for hindering cooperation, academia had not completely ¡°covered itself in glory¡± either.

His points were countered by Andrew Hamilton, president of New York University, who said ¡°the?desire to be first¡± was what pushed the boundaries of science, although it had to be ¡°assisted¡± by collaboration.

Both leaders were speaking in an online debate at the summit about whether the race for a coronavirus vaccine was bringing the world together or creating more division.

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Professor Toope said that as well as the ¡°tremendously sad lack¡± of global political leadership during the pandemic, ¡°universities themselves have not necessarily risen to the challenge collaboratively in the way that we might hope in these circumstances¡±.

¡°Part of that has been shaped by the geopolitics¡­but I?also think it is fair to say there has been a certain amount of ¡®trying to get there first¡¯¡­in relation to¡­a?vaccine,¡± he said.

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However, Professor Hamilton, himself a former vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, said he was more optimistic about the race for a vaccine and the way that universities were working on the challenge in conjunction with others.

¡°Universities are filled with contradictions: we are traditional, but we are also innovative; we are global in our outlook, but we are also local; and we can also be competitive and collaborative both at the same time,¡± he said.

¡°And competition is an important force in science. Stephen questioned the desire to be first in doing something: that is what pushes us forward, that is what accelerates progress. Competition is a good thing, but it is also very much assisted by collaboration.¡±

He added that while ¡°of?course the way the pandemic has been handled around the world leaves a great deal to be desired¡±, there were ¡°great models for collaboration¡± involving universities and also often industry that ¡°we can build upon¡± to tackle other challenges such as climate change.

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Another panellist, Agnes Binagwaho, vice-chancellor of the Rwanda-based University of Global Health Equity, said it was important for politicians to stay out of how research networks were established.

¡°I think the politicians should free the money to help the universities to set up a framework of better collaboration, with key performance indicators and accountability, but¡­politicians have done so much harm in the Covid fight that they stop there,¡± she said.

Earlier, she had noted that universities also needed to be the link between research and communities to help explain why a vaccine was so vital in the fight against the pandemic.

¡°One of the roles for universities is to be a bridge between science and communities¡­especially when you have governments and powerful people in the world who just say, ¡®I?don¡¯t care [about science], I?have my gut to tell me [what to do]¡¯,¡± she said.

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Marijk van der Wende, distinguished professor of higher education at Utrecht University, said the ¡°big question¡± that was arising from the research landscape around Covid-19 was whether it was steering science towards less openness.

¡°We have to acknowledge that some of our ideals are being challenged ¨C autonomy, but also the value of higher education and research as a global public good. The outcomes of our research in terms of a potential vaccine seem to be nationalised and commercialised, although there are important efforts to prevent this,¡± she said.

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¡°All of this has not necessarily helped in terms of trust¡­in science. It is not that easy to have an open scientific debate when at the same time we are expected to advise public authorities and health authorities.¡±

simon.baker@timeshighereducation.com