The value of international cooperation has at least been acknowledged as people understand its importance in the fight against the pandemic. But the more recent tightening of controls over cross-border cooperation is worth noting, given geopolitical tensions between, for example, China and the United States.

The 2022 Elsevier Report highlights that China and the US are the most prominent collaborators in the world, each publishing about 20 per cent of the world’s research. Nonetheless, in 2021, we saw a slight decline in joint publications between the two countries.

What is the logic behind international cooperation, and how can it help prevent the next pandemic? A British Medical Journal analysis suggests the point of international collaboration is that the exchange of knowledge and experience accelerates learning and promotes faster progress, harmonisation of rules and standards, and maintains the comparability of information. Moreover, it helps initiate best practices while promoting mutual understanding and trust.

Intercountry, interprofession and intersectoral cooperation is needed to combat the current pandemic and prevent the next one. One way to lay the groundwork for collaborative pandemic prevention is to create a neutral platform to work together to achieve goals.

APRU recognised the importance of intercountry collaboration during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 and established a neutral platform for different universities to share vaccine development research. The association also created a report on the biomedical technology and therapeutics assets of its members through a survey conducted by the University of British Columbia.

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The survey received responses from 23 universities in 11 countries around the Pacific Rim. As a result, numerous areas of synergy were prioritised, including the strong commitment by institutions to collaborate in providing global leadership in the fight against pandemics.

Third, universities could help identify social and cultural determinants of responses to public health strategies. The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly shown that the same virus can have different outcomes in different parts of the world.

The more we expand access to education, the more people will live healthier lives. Increasing the numbers of people graduating from university will mean better-educated people, and more productive people earning higher incomes generate higher economic participation. All of this improves the social determinants of health.

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Universities have the capabilities to research the social and cultural implications of Covid-19 and collaborate with campus-affiliated, local and regional partners to develop and disseminate resources to ensure community members’ basic needs are met.

Finally, educational institutions can help promote global collaboration across sectors by establishing dialogue between industry, policymakers and researchers.

Looking ahead, global challenges need global solutions that are transdisciplinary and developed by intercountry collaboration and partnerships. International collaboration in scientific research must become the norm, not the exception.

There are no geographic boundaries when it comes to viruses and diseases, and there should be no borders or boundaries when it comes to working towards prevention.

Rocky S. Tuan is vice-chair of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities and vice-chancellor and president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong