Examining the Influence of Confucius Institute Presence on Research Collaboration Between Nigerian and Chinese Universities

Confucius Institutes (CIs) are frequently described as educational bridges that create pathways for academic collaboration beyond language instruction, but empirical evidence on whether CI presence at Nigerian universities actually increases research collaboration with Chinese institutions is absent from the African higher education literature. This study empirically examines the relationship between CI presence and research collaboration outcomes at Nigerian universities. A comparative institutional design was adopted, comparing research collaboration metrics (co-authored publications, joint research grants, researcher exchange agreements, and joint supervision arrangements) across twelve Nigerian universities: six with active Confucius Institutes and six without, matched by university size, research output ranking, and geopolitical zone. Bibliometric data from Scopus and Web of Science were complemented by institutional data from university international offices and interviews with research vice chancellors at each institution. Results reveal that CI-affiliated universities have significantly higher volumes of co-authored publications with Chinese institutions over the period 2015 to 2023. The mean annual co-authored output is 4.2 papers at CI universities versus 0.8 papers at non-CI universities. Joint research grant activity shows a similar directional pattern but with wider variance. The CI-research collaboration relationship is partially mediated by postgraduate student exchange volume. The study fills an important evidence gap and recommends that CI agreement negotiations include explicit research collaboration targets and co-authored publication incentive schemes.

Keywords: Confucius Institute, research collaboration, Nigerian universities, bibliometric analysis, academic partnership