Shaping European diplomacy: The European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance
The need for a new approach
Climate change, food scarcity, antibiotic resistance and rising pandemics are only few of the global challenges that modern society has to face. To solve such complex problems, though, a single expertise is not enough. What is needed is a cooperative approach, that relies on scientists to develop innovative solutions, politicians to create the normative landscape for them to be effective, and diplomats to connect and engage them.
This approach, based on collaborations between experts coming from very different fields, is called Science Diplomacy. Science diplomacy can take various forms, as it can be understood as:
· Science for diplomacy: The use of science to advance diplomatic objectives
· Diplomacy for science: The use of diplomatic action to further scientific and technological progress
· Science in diplomacy: The direct involvement of science or scientific actors in diplomatic processes
All of these approaches are part of a coherent effort to tackle societal changes but, to do so, it is necessary to connect people. Introducing:
The European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance
The founding of the Alliance
Between 2016 and 2022 the European Union funded, under Horizon 2020, three projects aimed at studying science diplomacy from different perspectives:
· InsSciDE explored the history of science diplomacy focusing on themes such as heritage, health, security, environment and space
· S4D4C aimed at supporting the European science diplomacy in developing a governance framework to find solutions for global challenges
· EL-CSID had the objective to articulate the relevance that cultural, science and innovation diplomacy have for EU external relations, underlining the limits of an excessively simplistic approach to them
The EU Science Diplomacy Alliance is a collaborative initiative launched by the three projects to sustain and grow the networks, impact and momentum they had consolidated.
The Coordinators of S4D4C, InsSciDE and EL-CSID together launched the Alliance at the Final Networking Conference of S4D4C on 19 March 2021, with the support of several founding members. The Alliance is grounded in the results and networks fostered by the three projects and aims at sustaining the dialogue on EU science diplomacy and cultivating new opportunities to progress theory and practice of science diplomacy in Europe.
What the Alliance stands for
The main objectives of the Alliance are:
· Facilitating collaborations on science diplomacy projects
· Developing a community of practitioners and a network of knowledge
· Advising science diplomacy stakeholders
· Training new professionals in the field of science diplomacy
To achieve the latest, the Alliance and its founding projects have built an extensive library and collection of resources and training opportunities, available on the dedicated page of the Alliance’s official website.
How membership works in the Alliance
The founding members of the Alliance are institutions active in science diplomacy research and practice. Some of them were involved in the original three projects, such as the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) and the Unit of Non-Traditional Diplomacy (UNTRAD), while others, like the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), joined in the effort of founding the Alliance. The Alliance is open to new members, who can belong to one of three groups:
· Members are based in the European Union
· Global Networking Partners are either based outside the EU or have a geographical focus that lies outside
· Advisory Partners are involved upon invitation
With the exception of the Advisory Partners, only institutions can be members of the Alliance, but it’s the members of these institutions who make its heart and soul.
The future of the Alliance
Going forward: next objectives to develop the Alliance
The member organizations rotate in the chairing of the Alliance, playing the role for six months each. During the semester between January and June 2023 the MCAA will be acting chair of the Alliance, in the persons of Mostafa Moonir Shawrav and Fernanda Bajanca, with the aim of further developing and structuring it. The main objectives of this semester will be:
· Providing organizational stability to the Alliance
· Enhancing the collaboration among Members and Global Networking Partners
· Contributing to the European Science Diplomacy Agenda & Strategy development
After that the Alliance will keep on expanding, with the standing aim of shaping the European diplomatic approach.
References
[1]: European Project “Using science for/in diplomacy for addressing global challenges”, S4D4C, funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 770342, https://www.s4d4c.eu/
[2]: European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance, https://www.science-diplomacy.eu/
About the author:
Federico Di Bisceglie is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées in Toulouse, France. As a member of the Marie Curie Alumni Association he cultivates his interest in Science Diplomacy and aims at helping shaping the diplomatic landscape of the European Union.
