The international dimension
Much of the work in Oxford has a strong comparative dimension, and particular importance is attached to the many links with groups and scholars working elsewhere in Europe and overseas. A major programme of comparative research on the relations between technology, science, and industrial performance in Europe since the eighteenth century draws heavily on European contacts, as does the association of the Museum of the History of Science with a number of similar museums on the Continent, notably in Florence, Leiden, and Paris. In these and other ventures in the history of science, a long-established collaboration with the Maison Française in Oxford, now formally designated as a research group within the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, plays a key role. On a broader geographical front, a large collaborative project on the history of malaria in East Africa is currently being co-ordinated between the Wellcome Unit, Oxford, and the Wellcome Trust Research Laboratories, Nairobi, Kenya. The Wellcome Unit is also collaborating with scholars in India, South Africa, and Sri Lanka as part of its research on hospitals in the developing world.
Schemes for supporting research in overseas libraries and collections are being actively developed, and applications from students wishing to pursue subjects that would exploit these opportunities would be especially welcome.