Transnational digital infrastructure and scientific collaboration: Evidence from the Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1) submarine cable

This paper examines the impact of transnational digital infrastructure on international scientific collaboration. Based on data of Chinese researchers' collaborative papers from 2010 to 2023, we analyzed the impact of the operation of Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) submarine cable on research partnerships between China and the connected countries. The findings show that the AAE-1 cable has significantly boosted collaborative research activities. It not only facilitated the establishment of novel scientific collaborations but also enhanced the productivity of existing partnerships. Additionally, the enhanced connectivity led to an expansion in the size of research teams and a measurable increase in the citation impact of collaborative publications. The effects on collaboration were most pronounced for universities, collaborations in technology-related fields, and countries with historically lower publication outputs and less international bandwidth. These results highlight the pivotal role of high-quality digital infrastructure in fostering global scientific collaboration, especially in integrating developing countries and peripheral research communities into the global scientific ecosystem.