Request for Applications: Fostering the Consolidation of European Science Diplomacy

Scope

• Against this background, the Coordination and Support Action will contribute to consolidating the European science diplomacy landscape both in research and in practice. In particular, it should provide, once operational, a mapping of all relevant players, which is still lacking at this point, and establish a European Science Diplomacy Platform. The added value of such a platform is that it can serve as a “do tank”, bringing together scientists (including from SSH disciplines) and diplomats alike and delivering concrete support for policy needs, such as:
  • advising on the use of science diplomacy to help achieving the EU’s foreign and security policy goals (e.g., in the context of Global Gateway),
  • identifying research needs and providing expert knowledge to policymakers and diplomatic services through science advice and science communication, thereby strengthening multilateralism and democratic governance,
  • designing methods for assessing the impact of relevant actions,
  • exploring synergies with other fields of diplomacy, most notably tech/innovation/digital diplomacy, as well as public diplomacy and culture diplomacy, including the use of arts to communicate science related to global challenges,
  • assisting policy dialogues with audiences and stakeholders in third countries as well as international organizations and other multilateral settings, and
  • supporting the EU’s science diplomacy outreach to partners world-wide, including to relevant international organizations, such as UNESCO.
• In addition, this Coordination and Support Action should explore and develop mechanisms for training, capacity-building, and mutual learning in science diplomacy in a consistent manner, including by exploring the feasibility of science diplomacy fellowship schemes in European and Member State/Associated Countries’ institutions at home and in diplomatic representations abroad.

Funding Information

• Budget (EUR) – Year 2025: 3 000 000
• Contributions: 2500000 to 3000000

Expected Outcomes

• Building on the recommendations of the EU Science Diplomacy Working Groups, the project should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
  • EU and national policymakers as well as researchers obtain a taxonomy of European science diplomacy which maps the relevant players, including from academia, policymaking, diplomacy, civil society, and business, and have an overview of the science diplomacy ecosystems in the EU and the existing capacities, infrastructures, networks (including diaspora and alumni networks), training activities, strategies, and publications at EU and national level. This should also include a mapping of science diplomacy strategies of third countries to inform EU responses.
  • Design and launch a European Science Diplomacy Platform as a community of research and practice providing an impartial space for interaction and resources for institutional capacity building, knowledge sharing and scaling up of best practices, involving the key players in European science diplomacy, from both the EU and national levels, liaising also with European scientists in the diaspora and alumni of European mobility schemes, and creating links with existing platforms.
  • Building on the activities of existing mechanisms such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), ERC, COST, EURAXESS, the European Universities initiative, the European Diplomatic Academy, and relevant programmes at national level, schemes, competence frameworks and curricula for training, capacity-building, and mutual learning in European science diplomacy, are developed, paying particular attention to the needs of science counsellors and other diplomats dealing with matters that rely heavily on scientific expertise.

Eligibility Criteria

• Entities eligible to participate:
  • Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from nonassociated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call/topic.
  • A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
• To become a beneficiary, legal entities must be eligible for funding.
• To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions:
    • Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States:
    • Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe;
    • Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

For more information, visit EC.