The past, present and future of european science diplomacy

Over the past decade, there has been a marked increase in levels of research and policy interest in the concept of 'science diplomacy' — the many ways in which science, technology

and innovation interrelate with foreign policy and international relations. Fuelling this interest are societal challenges of increasing complexity and urgency that put pressure on both

scientific research and foreign policy, as well as on the traditional intersections of these realms. At the same time, changes in the research landscape and in diplomatic agency in Europe

and elsewhere offer opportunities to effectively use science diplomacy as a foreign policy tool. In this research article Collection, we want to explore how current practices of European

science diplomacy came about, historically, how they are changing and what forms they might take in the future. The Collection builds on recent efforts of conceptualising and framing science

diplomacy in a variety of interdisciplinary research projects as well as in policy discourse. Discussions can focus on actor constellations, science-policy interfaces, governance

arrangements, historical analyses, national and supranational approaches to science diplomacy, and so on. We particularly welcome contributions from political science (including policy

studies and international relations), area studies, as well as the sociology and history of science. Articles on the following themes are especially encouraged: * Case studies of past,

current and future European science diplomacy; * The governance of the interface between science and foreign policy; * Interrelations between EU and EU Member State science diplomacy; *

Relation of EU and non-EU science diplomacy; * Perception of EU science diplomacy outside the EU. Papers focusing exclusively on the issue of science advice will be considered for the

journal’s related thematic Collection on ‘Scientific advice to governments‘.