VUB joins new European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance
16 institutions join forces to advance global dialogue and cooperation
“Science diplomacy is a versatile tool that mobilizes science and scientists to advance dialogue and cooperation between countries, regions and citizens,” says Luk Van Langenhove, VUB academic commissioner for international networks and research professor at VUB’s Brussels School of Governance. “With the in-depth knowledge, experience and dedication of the alliance members, we are certain that our activities and events will contribute to enhancing awareness and knowledge of science diplomacy.”
The founding members of European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance include European universities and research centres, foundations, diplomatic academies and multilateral organisations. Together they will facilitate interaction and dialogue, training, institutional capacity building and coordination of joint funding to enhance their global impact. The alliance’s first large conference will be hosted in Paris in June 2022.
In the past months, the European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance has prepared an opinon paper in response to the European Commission’s communication on the Global Approach to Research and Innovation, ‘Europe’s strategy for international cooperation in a changing world’. in which it is emphasised what is missing and how one could envisage a Science Diplomacy Strategy to complement the Global Approach. Such a strategy should answer the questions Why should the EU invest in science diplomacy? How should it invest? What should be the concrete actions to implement the vision and mission? The paper was prepared by Luk Van Langenhove as chair of a drafting group and is now signed by already 20 scholars from different institutions.
The initiative of the European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance was launched following the success of three research and innovation projects on science diplomacy funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, which ran between 2016 and 2022: EL-CSID (European Leadership in Cultural, Science and Innovation Diplomacy), S4D4C (Using Science for/in Diplomacy for Addressing Global Challenges) and InsSciDE (Inventing a Shared Science Diplomacy for Europe). The EL-CSID project was coordinated by VUB and analysed the relevance of cultural, science and innovation diplomacy for EU external relations. The alliance aims to continue the activities, networks, impact and legacy of the three projects.
Contact
Luk Van Langenhove [email protected]
EU Science Diplomac Alliance
Founding member organisations
Charles University, Czech Republic
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Sorbonne Université, France
German Aerospace Center (DLR-PT), Germany
European Academy of Diplomacy, Poland
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), Spain
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
Padua University, Italy
SciDipGlobal, Spain
University Lille, France
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Zentrum für Soziale Innovation, Austria
Global networking partners
Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF)
The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)
University of Tromsø (UiT), Norway
Unit of Non-Traditional Diplomacy (UNTRAD)