Changes in Characteristics of Vaccine Clinical Trial Collaboration Networks amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social Network Analysis

The purpose of this study is to analyze changes in the characteristics of multinational and institutional collaboration networks in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method and employing Pajek64 5.19 and VOSviewer 1.6.20 software, we constructed multinational collaboration networks and institutional collaboration networks in three periods of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. The distribution of COVID-19 vaccine platforms across three periods indicates that the majority of clinical trials exhibit an initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease. The distribution of clinical trial types across periods reveals that the number of clinical trials conducted through collaboration between countries/regions is relatively low, and their proportion decreases gradually across the three periods. The multinational collaboration networks of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials in each period indicate that the collaboration networks are more tightly connected in the first and second periods compared to the third period. The first and second periods involve more countries/regions in collaboration, and although the number of collaborating countries/regions is fewer in the first period, the collaborations are more intimate when compared to the second period. The institutional collaboration networks of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials in each period indicate that the collaboration networks of institutions conducting these trials are characterized by dispersion, diversity, and small scale. The crucial significance of this study lies in exploring the unique value of clinical trial registration data for analyzing the collaborative efforts of countries/regions and institutions globally in conducting COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.