Understanding the connectedness of global stakeholders across a spectrum of scientific and technological activities is critical to the crafting and implementation of effective global science and technology policies. The panel will explore how network mapping of scientific and technological communities may be useful in identifying these communities and explore how understanding cultural differences within and between these communities is vital in the crafting and implementation of effective policy. Results from a project mapping global scientific and technological communities will first be presented followed by case studies examining the role of cultural differences in China and Africa in these communities.