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In recent years scientific research has changed markedly. High throughput technologies have resulted in the generation and accumulation of unprecedented quantities of data, which can be collected, analysed and interpreted through advances in computational science. This, in turn, has led to rapid progress in the development of computational models that can represent natural phenomena across the range of scales, from the level of atoms and molecules to the structure and evolution of galaxies. Such models allow researchers to test and develop new ideas; they can provide new insights into the behaviour of systems under different conditions that would be difficult to test directly through experiment, and they can be used to predict how a system will react to changing circumstances. With computer modelling becoming an increasingly important tool for researchers, the Science Europe Scientific Committee for Life, Environmental and Geo Sciences organised a workshop to explore how different scientific disciplines use computational modelling and simulations of complex structures in space and time.

In this paper produced by the Scientific Committee for the Life, Environmental and Geo Sciences, the Committee argues that in order to strengthen international collaborative research, the national research funding organisations should consider increasing their efforts to widen the participation of various European countries and global partners in multilateral schemes, whilst fostering interdisciplinarity and knowledge integration. Moreover, a bottom-up approach should be adopted in order to collect research proposals that contain novel ideas and solutions, captured directly from the research community and users, thus enabling open innovation.

In a globalised research ecosystem, collaboration is key. This collaboration also brings challenges linked to the diversity of scientific and legal environments. The aim of this practical guide is to provide better and more efficient means for research organisations to apply a set of optional models for cross-border collaboration and to help them achieve more successful and easier implementation.

The Roadmap, approved by the Science Europe General Assembly in November 2013, is Science Europe’s action plan to contribute to the elements of a successful research system. It acts as a framework for voluntary collective activity, providing a long-term strategy for the association. The ‘Priority Action Areas’ are those in which Science Europe members believe that there is a potential to achieve tangible and substantive progress, and where they can add real value by working together.