Collaboration drives resilience: A closer look at transatlantic research relationships

This review examines how transatlantic research collaborations between Scotland and North America contribute to and support academic and professional development for early-career researchers, especially through mobility opportunities. The survey of PhD students, early-career researchers, and early-career faculty yielded interesting insights into the nature, benefits, and challenges of these collaborations. Respondents represented a wide range of disciplines and described partnerships ranging from formal institutionally brokered agreements to informal scholar-to-scholar networks. Participants highlighted beneficial mechanisms such as co-supervised projects, faculty exchanges, joint workshops, student training programmes, and knowledge exchange presentations as the backbone of their collaborations, whether developed through institutional initiatives or emerging organically from academic networks and relational connections. A consistent theme was the call for structures that support long-term interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, and international partnerships. This underscores the recognition that tackling complex research questions relies on sustainable and resilient international collaborations built on relational trust, supported by clear institutional frameworks.