The Death—and Rebirth—of Science Diplomacy

Twenty years ago, international scientific collaboration seemed unstoppable. Student exchanges, joint research projects, and shared infrastructure were designed not just to advance knowledge and fuel innovation markets, but also to foster cosmopolitan values and strengthen diplomatic ties. Such undertakings depended on active government involvement through international science and technology agreements, targeted funding, and institutional matchmaking—and this convergence of science and statecraft became known as science diplomacy.

From Dec. 17-18, the Danish presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission will convene the second European Science Diplomacy Conference , bringing 500 top-level policymakers, researchers, and field leaders to the table to confront an uncomfortable truth: The honeymoon of effortless international scientific cooperation is over.

From Dec. 17-18, the Danish presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission will convene the second European Science Diplomacy Conference, bringing 500 top-level policymakers, researchers, and field leaders to the table to confront an uncomfortable truth: The honeymoon of effortless international scientific cooperation is over.

Twenty years ago, international scientific collaboration seemed unstoppable. Student exchanges, joint research projects, and shared infrastructure were designed not just to advance knowledge and fuel innovation markets, but also to foster cosmopolitan values and strengthen diplomatic ties. Such undertakings depended on active government involvement through international science and technology agreements, targeted funding, and institutional matchmaking—and this convergence of science and statecraft became known as science diplomacy.

Science diplomacy was forged by the United States in the mid-1990s as a soft-power tool to create a friendlier American face abroad via science’s glob