Bridging borders or widening gaps? The dynamics of European scientific collaboration networks

The study explores a dynamic co-authorship network among European countries between 1990 and 2023 that arose from an interplay of geographical, linguistic, and historical factors which influenced the scientific collaboration. In the analysis, bibliometric data from OpenAlex are used in Indirect Blockmodeling (IB) and Dynamic Stochastic Blockmodeling (DSBM) to examine patterns in three critical periods: rise of the Internet (1994–2003), enlargement of the EU (2004–2013), and the European Research Area (ERA) initiatives (2014–2023). The findings reveal exponential growth in the number of co-authored publications, an overall increase in intra-cluster collaboration, notably in the Balkan, Scandinavian, and Western clusters, coupled with persistent regional disparities. Despite EU policy interventions, collaborations between Western and non-Western regions remain limited. The study shows the need for targeted measures to ensure scientific networks across Europe are more inclusive and balanced.