Internationalization of Science and Diplomacy, Concepts and Practices: Lessons for Developing Countries

Abstract

The current rapid progress of science and technology has been made possible through the extensive and increasing practice of international scientific collaboration in its multiple forms. Acknowledging the latter’s importance, most countries make it part of their internationalization policies. With development demands to further science capacities, and global problems becoming more complex, the science–foreign policy nexus has deepened in its conceptual and practical approaches, giving rise to the evolving concept and prominence of science diplomacy. Though science has been “used for years for international relations purposes around the world, science diplomacy has become a new term for an old concept”, today it is a key tool to promote closer relations between nations, define common global goals, and as support to the internationalization of science and foreign policies. With the COVID-19 crisis, science diplomacy has gained renewed importance and calls for new approaches like the further development of “science of science diplomacy” or the inclusion of new policy support tools such as foresight. Developing countries formulating their science and foreign policies can benefit from an overview of internationalization, scientific collaboration, the existing science diplomacy concepts and practices, and the development of new approaches contributing to a better understanding of the science–foreign policy nexus.