Innovations in Science: The Cuban Research Connection

On July 20, 2015 the governments of the United States and Cuba officially re-established diplomatic ties by opening embassies in Washington DC and Havana, after a 55 year embargo initiated by the Kennedy Administration in 1960. The full impact of US re-engagement with Cuba has yet to be determined, but two business sectors have been quick to take advantage of this nascent relationship: travel and academia. While there are still travel restrictions between the two countries, direct US to Cuba flights are already being offered through JetBlue and others will no doubt follow suit, as will the major hotel chains. It's also good news for the academic community who have been quick to reach out to their Cuban counterparts. A recent article in The Washington Post cited several examples of US universities eager to develop relationships with universities in Havana. According to the article Auburn University, Johns Hopkins, Columbia and Brown have all initiated collaborative arrangements and the leadership of Florida International University are discussing the idea of a Cuban campus. Scientists the world over are typically quick to embrace relationships with like-minded colleagues in other countries regardless of international politics, so it's worth taking a look at what the collaborative opportunities might be for US/Cuban research. According to Scopus publication data, Cuban research is heavily focused on medicine and the related disciplines of heath, pharmacology, immunology an...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news