On ties to China, UK research should hold—but be ready to fold

Planning in case of sudden disengagement needs to happen now, say Jonathan Adams and colleagues

With whom should the UK collaborate on research? Or, rather, since researchers and not countries do the work, where are people most likely to find high-quality, cutting-edge projects? 

Amid worsening geopolitical tensions, what was once a matter of building connections and working out whether the benefits of a shared agenda exceed the costs of collaboration has become shaded by political and security concerns.