Science diplomacy has long been understood as the set of activities operating at the intersection of science and foreign policy, often with science positioned as a tool to be instrumentalized in moments of tension or as a mechanism of competition. Histories of science and science and technology studies remind us that the relationship between science and global relations has always been essential, yet the many ways in which science diplomacy unfolds in practice are still being unpacked in all their complexity.

Today, the field of science diplomacy stands at a significant turning point. This reflects a shifting global landscape, marked by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, which function both as tools for diplomatic engagement and as sources of competition; increasingly complex and tension-filled multipolar power relations and urgent planetary challenges. Against this backdrop, science and the diplomatic power it wields is frequently cast in political discourse as the essential key to both addressing these challenges and securing competitive advantage on the global stage.

This moment represents an opportunity to broaden and enrich the field: to make space for fresh perspectives and approaches to the topic and to invite those already working on science diplomacy to consider where multiple conceptions of “science” and multiple understandings of “diplomacy” intersect, conflict and co-exist. Part of this broadening involves moving beyond the traditional focus on the so-called hard sciences and engineering to more fully examine how the intersection of diplomacy and science plays out across a wider range of fields, including the social and human sciences.

We ask: Where can we imagine new ground—and new grounding—for science diplomacy? What practices, perspectives, and possibilities have we overlooked when thinking about how science exists at the intersection of its epistemic and diplomatic dimensions?

Rethinking Science Diplomacy

Approaching the concept and field of science diplomacy as part of a larger ecosystem of knowledge, power, and global relations requires critically rethinking its foundations and its futures. This means interrogating inherited assumptions, experimenting with new analytical frames, and asking what has been neglected or excluded. For example:

• What can we learn about science diplomacy by viewing it through the legacies of colonialism and of the global cold war in both science and diplomacy?
• What role does gender play in shaping the institutions, practices, and future of science diplomacy?
• What overlooked practices of negotiation, solidarity, or contestation might expand our understanding of science diplomacy itself?
• How might examining a broader range of scientific disciplines and their diplomatic roles and practices redefine our understanding of science diplomacy?
• How might universities and other scientific institutions play multiple roles in the ecosystem of science diplomacy?
• To what extent has science diplomacy been examined primarily through the lens of elite individuals, high-level negotiations, and prominent political moments? What alternative perspectives or approaches might broaden the field?
• What kind of ethical and justice-related implications of innovation emerge across borders, and what role can science diplomacy play in shaping policies that reflect these principles?

PROGRAMME

The program is preliminary, and changes may occur. Further details will follow shortly.

16 June 2026

09:00-09:30 Welcome and Coffee 

09:30-11:00 Panel 1: Preliminary Panel title: Science Diplomacy and Security - 3 papers TBA

11:00-11:30 Break 

11:30-13:00 Panel 2: Preliminary Panel title: international scientific collaboration I - 3 papers TBA

13:00-14:00 Lunch 

14:00-15:30 Round table: Science Diplomacy and the role of academic institutions (Description follows)

15:30-16:00 Coffee break

16:00-17:30 Panel 3: Preliminary Panel title: Space and Science Diplomacy - 3 papers TBA

18:00 Reception at AIAS followed by drinks in town

17 June 2026

09:00-10 30 Panel 4 Preliminary Panel title: international scientific collaboration II - 3 papers TBA

10.30-11:00 Coffee break

11:00 -12:30 Panel 5: Preliminary Panel title: Practitioners’ imagining new ground in Science Diplomacy - 3 papers TBA

12:30-14:15 Lunch and poster session (6 posters selected)

14:15-15.45 Panel 6: Preliminary Panel title: Science Diplomacy and the public - 3 papers TBA 

15:45-16:00 Break 

16:00-16:30 Closing discussion

REGISTRATION

Registration is now open. Please register here.

The workshop is open to all, researchers, practitioners, officials and others, interested in the topics listed above. Participation in the workshop is free of charge, but participants will need to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses.

TRAVEL AND HOTELS

Please find a document with list of hotels here (the list starts with the pricier hotels) and guidance on how to get to Aarhus here. 

ORGANIZERS AND FUNDERS

The conference is organised by the AIAS-Science Diplomacy Theme-group consisting of four fellows:

Casper Andersen, Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas, Aarhus University, Denmark

Maria Rentetzi, Department of Science Technology and Gender Studies, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany

Matteo de Donà, Department of Political Science, Lund University, Sweden

Rachel Fishberg, Department of Political Science at Aarhus University, Denmark