Research networks: US policy should not shape collaborations

The aims of the Global Research Council (GRC) to improve international scientific collaboration (Nature 485, 427; 2012) have been enthusiastically endorsed by John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Subra Suresh, head of the US National Science Foundation (see go.nature.com/rbiykb). We disagree with their statement that ?good science anywhere in the world is good for science ? and good for people ? everywhere in the world?. The agreed GRC standards for merit-based peer review will improve research quality through collaborations between high- and middle-income countries, which have strong research systems. But the guidelines are unlikely to boost science capacity in low-income countries.