Navigating Dual Identity: A Comparative Study of Research Development in Sino-Foreign Cooperative Universities

Abstract This study examines the research development of Sino-foreign cooperative universities (SFCUs) in China, analyzing how these institutions navigate their dual identity within global academic standards and local higher education systems. Using comprehensive data from SciVal covering nine SFCUs from 2014 to 2023, we analyze research output, impact, collaboration patterns, and funding sources, comparing performance with established Project 985 and 211 universities. Despite producing smaller publication volumes than established Chinese universities, SFCUs demonstrate comparable or superior research quality metrics. SFCUs exhibit distinctive collaboration patterns, maintaining international collaboration rates above 56% compared to approximately 30% for traditional Chinese universities. However, longitudinal analysis reveals evolving strategies, with most SFCUs gradually increasing national collaboration while maintaining strong international connections. Institutional partnerships and funding sources reveal significant variation in balancing global integration and local responsiveness, with the National Natural Science Foundation of China emerging as the dominant funding source across all institutions. Our findings challenge simplified characterizations of dual identity, revealing it as a dynamic, multidimensional phenomenon that evolves over time.