Global interest in Science Diplomacy, both as a policy tool and a field of research, has been growing in recent years, also thanks to the support of the European Union and the establishment of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance in 2021.
Already in 2019, the Trieste Declaration on Science, adopted by CEI ministers responsible for science and research, had highlighted the importance of Science Diplomacy and the need to explore this concept and its practical applications within the CEI framework. In line with these provisions, the CEI-Executive Secretariat has promoted several activities in the domain of Science Diplomacy, including the recent publication of the handbook “Science Diplomacy: Foundations and Practice”.
This work was supported by the CEI in collaboration with the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and benefitted from the scientific guidance of the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Trieste. It was designed as a comprehensive introduction to Science Diplomacy for both students and practitioners, with contributions from international experts that combine analyses of the main conceptualizations with descriptions of case studies of “Science Diplomacy in action”. One chapter is specifically dedicated to the CEI and its contribution to the development of Science Diplomacy, demonstrating the mutually reinforcing connection between Science Diplomacy and regional cooperation.
The handbook “Science Diplomacy: Foundations and Practice” was published by EUT – Edizioni Università di Trieste and is available for open access download in both English and Italian.
For more info: lombardo@cei.int