  National science systems have become embedded in global science and countries
do everything they can to harness global knowledge to national economic needs.
However, accessing and using the riches of global knowledge can occur only
through scientists. Consequently, the research power of nations relies on the
research power of individual scientists. Their capacity to collaborate
internationally and to tap into the global networked science is key. The
constantly evolving, bottom-up, autonomous, self-regulating, and self-focused
nature of global science requires deeper understanding; and the best way to
understand its dynamics is to understand what drives academic scientists in
their work. The idea that science remains a state-driven rather than
curiosity-driven is difficult to sustain. In empirical terms, we describe the
globalization of science using selected publication, collaboration, and
citation data from 2000-2020. The globalization of science implies two
different processes in two different system types: the growth of science in the
Western world is almost entirely attributable to internationally co-authored
publications; its growth in the developing world, in contrast, is driven by
both internationally co-authored and domestic publications. Global network
science opens incredible opportunities to new arrivals - countries as well as
institutions and research teams. The global system is embedded in the rules
created by scientists themselves and maintained as a self-organizing system and
nation-states have another major level to consider in their science policies:
the global level. Globalization of science provides more agency, autonomy,
collegiality, and self-regulation to scientists embedded in national science
structures and involved in global networks.
