International scientific and technological cooperation in a fragmenting world economy: openness, resilience and technological sovereignty

Abstract

The article examines how the fragmentation of the world economy changes the economic role of international scientific and technological cooperation and the requirements for its strategic planning. The study uses a comparative analysis of approaches to international cooperation in science and technology, the concept of technological sovereignty, and contemporary policy documents of the Russian Federation and multilateral organizations. It argues that, under restrictions on cross-border knowledge exchange, access to equipment, and research infrastructure, international scientific and technological cooperation does not lose its relevance; rather, its function changes. It becomes an instrument for diversifying external technological ties, reducing dependence on a narrow group of partners, and linking national innovation systems to new value-creation networks. The paper distinguishes technological sovereignty from autarky: the former denotes a country's capacity to determine critical development priorities and the terms of its participation in global knowledge networks, while the latter narrows technological opportunities. Particular attention is paid to BRICS+ and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as platforms for building resilient scientific and technological relations. The article concludes that strategic planning should move beyond counting agreements and co-authored publications toward assessing the economic outcomes of cooperation, including joint research centers, workforce capabilities, commercialization of research results, and technology value chains. The practical contribution of the study is a set of principles for planning international scientific and technological cooperation in the new geo-economic environment.