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Study finds SAARC members have better scientific collaboration with others, India leads pack
New Delhi (IANS): Despite shared historical and socio-cultural ties, countries within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, work more closely with countries, outside the region than within, when it comes to science and research.
While the global share of the SAARC’s research publications has increased in the past two decades — with largest contributor India providing 84.41% of the total research output from the region — collaboration within neighbouring countries remains low.
This has been revealed by the study that measured scientific collaboration in SAARC countries.India, which has the largest publication volume, has 77.18% indigenous or domestic research papers, 22.05% inter-collaborated papers, 0.6% mixed-collaborated papers and only 0.17% intra-collaborated papers.
Despite being members of an intergovernmental organisation, only 1,535, out of 933,681 research papers published between 2001 and 2019, involved collaboration within SAARC countries, making up less than 1% (0.16%) of the total.Furthermore, the proportion of domestic research papers declined during this period, decreasing from 81.69%, in 2001, to 63.82%, in 2019, indicating an increase in collaborative research papers.
Roughly, 1 in 4 research papers, published from the region in the last two decades, involved international collaboration between SAARC researchers and countries, outside the region.The report said 250,300 (26.81%) of the 933,681 research papers were inter-collaborative, increasing from 17.98%, in 2001, to 34.92%, in 2019.
Mixed-collaborated papers, involving collaboration between authors of at least two SAARC countries and at least one country from outside the region, saw an increase, from 0.19%, in 2001, to 1.05%, in 2019, highlighting that countries outside the region, such as Canada, China, the UK, Germany and others, were promoting collaboration, within the SAARC.
Despite intra-collaboration, within SAARC countries being low, the volume of intra-collaborated papers increased, from 24, in 2001, to about 195, in 2019. While India had the highest contribution of intra-collaborated papers, with 1,337, it still made up less than 1% (0.17%) of its total published papers.
The Maldives leads the region in intra-collaboration, with 8.19% of its total published papers being intra-collaborative in nature, followed by Afghanistan with 5.84% and Nepal with 6.62%. This indicates that smaller countries in the region have a higher proportion of intra-collaborative papers.
Many countries in the region, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, among others, share much stronger collaborative relations with countries outside the region than within.
Bhutan has collaboration links, only with three SAARC countries, namely India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.The study also explores subject areas which witnessed the highest research collaboration, within SAARC countries. While subjects, within Social Sciences and Mathematics, saw the highest collaboration overall, SAARC countries collaborated more in the Social and Environmental Sciences.
Countries, such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, among others, covered the most diverse range of subjects in their published research papers, from Occupational Health and Medicine to Agronomy and Physics.India had the highest publication diversity, having published in all 252 categories of the Web of Science, a database of bibliographic citations that covers areas across various journals of medical, scientific, and social sciences including humanities.
The study used research publication data from SAARC countries during the period 2001–2019 from the Web of Science. It concluded that SAARC as an intergovernmental organisation needs systematic efforts to promote research collaboration between its member countries, including creating specialised programs for cooperation.
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Heat Index at ‘Caution level’ in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura, Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology
at 3.30 p.m. on 25 March 2026, valid for 26 March 2026.
The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in
Anuradhapura, Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry
of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Colombo declared that the United States and Sri Lanka maintain a long-standing defence partnership, grounded in transparency, mutual respect, and shared interests.
The official said so in response to The Island query regarding President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent bombshell disclosure, in Parliament, that his government declined to allow the US Air Force to use the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, following the eruption of the latest West Asia war.
We sought views of the US on President Dissanayake’s claim against the backdrop of Sri Lanka being a party to the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) since 2007. Sri Lanka extended the ACSA in 2017, for another 10-year period, and its extension comes up next year.
The President revealed that the US had requested permission to use Mattala, between 04 and 08 March.
Claiming that the request had been made on 26 February, two days before the war began, President Dissanayake said that the US had sought to land two aircraft, carrying eight anti-ship missiles, but that the request had been turned down to maintain Sri Lanka’s neutrality. The President revealed that the aircraft were to come from a US base in Djibouti.
The US embassy pokesperson explained that questions related to operational movements, including ‘Operation Epic Fury’, should be directed to the Department of War (DOW) in Washington.
Camp Lemonnier is the primary base of operations for US Africa Command in the Horn of Africa. China, too, has its only overseas military base in Djibouti in the vicinity.
Military sources said whatever various interested parties said about US-Sri Lanka relations, the former provided significant intelligence support during last phase of the conflict that enabled the Navy to hunt down floating LTTE arsenals in international waters. Of the eight LTTE vessels sunk, the US backed four hits with specific intelligence, sources said.
News
No decrease in remittances from workers due to Gulf conflict, but significant drop in tourist arrivals – CB Governor
Sri Lanka’s worker remittances had not seen a decrease despite the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Central Bank (CBSL) Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said yesterday.
“Based on currently available data, they have not seen a decline in remittances. In fact, according to that we have observed, is a slight increase in remittances in the past few days, ” the Governor said at a media conference held at the Central Bank head office in Colombo.
Governor Weerasinghe also mentioned that he had not seen any reports about Sri Lankans returning to the country from the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict.
The Central Bank Governor, however, acknowledged that there had been a decrease in tourist arrivals. He confirmed that tourist arrivals had decreased by around 17 percent due to the current volatile situation in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has decided to maintain the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) at the current level of 7.75%, following its latest Monetary Policy Board meeting.
By Hiran H Senewiratne
UN votes to recognise enslavement of Africans as ‘gravest crime against humanity’
Meta and YouTube found liable in landmark social media addiction trial
Showers expected in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts after 2.00 pm.
Heat Index at ‘Caution level’ in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura, Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts
US dodges question on AKD’s claim SL denied permission for military aircraft to land
No decrease in remittances from workers due to Gulf conflict, but significant drop in tourist arrivals – CB Governor
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