We have entered a new era of “harsh” geopolitics. Those were the words of the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21, 2025. It is an era with geostrategic rivalries where commitment to international organisations (e.g. UN, WHO) and global solidarity can no longer be taken for granted.
By now it is clear that the co-operative world order that was on the horizon 25 years ago did not materialise. By contrast, the geopolitical context is more and more hostile. Additionally, science and technology are increasingly becoming a geopolitical currency, making science diplomacy not just an optional tool, but a necessity in the pursuit of solutions to global challenges.
Bear in mind that in this context, the term ‘science’ encompasses all academic disciplines, not only the natural sciences, technology, engineering and medicine, but also social sciences and humanities. The term ‘Diplomacy’ refers to the pursuit of global interests, e.g. by international organisations. The statement, ‘science as a politically neutral endeavour’, no longer applies.
The development in the Arctic region is just one of several examples of this. Until the recent past, the Arctic states (Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and the United States) supported international scientific collaborations with little, if any, political oversight. Now the region offers commercial opportunities in the form of deep-sea mining, mineral deposits, and a new Northwest Passage that is becoming accessible thanks to climate change.
Where does this leave science diplomacy?
Since the pioneering publication, “New Frontiers in Science Diplomacy” by the Royal Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, science diplomacy was considered to cover three dimensions:
- science for diplomacy: using science cooperation to improve relations between countries e.g. using international research infrastructures for trust-building
- science in diplomacy: informing foreign and security policy objectives with scientific advice e.g. the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); and
- diplomacy for science: facilitating international science cooperation by diplomatic action e.g. the 2017 Arctic Council agreement on Arctic scientific cooperation.
In response to the new geopolitical order, the 2025 report “A European Framework for Science Diplomacy” by the European Commission is calling for the inclusion of a fourth dimension of science diplomacy, named “diplomacy in science”, which refers to the use of diplomatic skills and tools in and by science.
Typology of Science Diplomacy. Source: A European Framework for Science Diplomacy – Recommendations of the EU Science Diplomacy Working Groups
The report argues that ‘diplomacy in science’ is growing in importance as “…there is increasing awareness among science stakeholders that scientific developments and cooperation are being affected by global politics. Likewise, there is increasing awareness among diplomats that scientific and technological advances have a profound impact on international relations.”
This begs the question: how do we turn this increased awareness into an enhanced capacity to act in a world transformed by rapid scientific progress?
Building capacity for science diplomacy
The Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) Foundation with support from the Wellcome Trust, is leading a global coalition aiming to build capacities among scientists, diplomats, and importantly also non-state actors whose influence is on the rise in this era of disruption. The coalition consisting of leading academic institutions, business schools, international organisations, diplomacy leaders, industry, and civil society partners, stresses that increased technological knowledge must be accompanied by leadership skills and mindsets to increase the capacity of scientists, diplomats and non-state actors to act.
GESDA and its partners are on the path of creating a global reference curriculum, modular, adaptable and scalable considering regional sectoral needs, combining four elements:
- Foundational knowledge to help bridge mindsets between different actors;
- Science anticipation to explore future breakthroughs;
- Science diplomacy lenses to understand their implications; and
- Leadership skills and mindsets to act upon the acquired knowledge and perspectives.
Initial Training Framework for Anticipatory Leadership. Source: GESDA – The Global Curriculum for Anticipatory Leadership
The full version of the initial training framework sheds light on the specific knowledge, skills and mindsets. To build their foundational knowledge, actors must complement their own disciplinary knowledge to bridge communities and mindsets. For example, diplomats need a level of scientific fluency, whereas scientists working in this context of geostrategic rivalries must have some fluency in diplomacy and geopolitics. To enable science anticipation, which is a cornerstone in the GESDA training framework, actors must learn about not only the current scientific breakthroughs, but also the frontier scientific fields in the next 5, 10 and 25 years, their nexus areas and interdependencies, and current and future applications. These are must-haves for decision-makers and other actors involved in science diplomacy, to guide society through the challenges as well as opportunities of the 21st century.
In today’s interdependent world, where science breakthroughs are redefining societies, industries and what it means to be a human being, effective science diplomacy requires not only understanding the nexus between scientific advances and their societal applications and implications, but also applying science diplomacy lenses, e.g. peace and security, sustainability, human rights, geopolitics, trade, to expand the perspectives. The fourth element of the training framework focused on maximising the capacity to act on global challenges in timely and future-oriented manner, includes skills like futures literacy, honest brokering, systems thinking, and a global mindset.
Starting already this year, GESDA and its pioneering partners are embarking on a journey to design and pilot content, tools and resources, including free, accessible (experiential) training modules. Already two experiential learning resources are available, the Quantum diplomacy simulation and Neurotechnology governance simulation. Both are free and come with a facilitation guide. Don’t wait, check them out here.
Whether you are an expert on the quantum or neurotechnology, these will provide you and your fellow participants with a hands-on experience of science diplomacy in a safe environment. If you don’t have the opportunity to play this group game or prefer to learn at your own pace, the free S4D4C European Science Diplomacy Online Course gives a great overview of the science-diplomacy landscape, and provides you with essential science diplomacy skills.
