Science is not just a vector of knowledge. It is an instrument of influence, a tool for cooperation, a factor of attractiveness, and a stake in sovereignty. At a time when climate, digital, health, and energy transitions are reshaping international balances, the ability of a country to establish, structure, and secure scientific partnerships is a central element of its projection and strategic autonomy.
At the same time, scientific diplomacy is gradually emerging as an issue at the European level. The European Union is developing a more structured reflection on the place of science in its international relations, particularly through initiatives undertaken by the European Commission for the development of a European framework for scientific diplomacy, the first recommendations of which were published in 2025.
The ministerial strategy for scientific diplomacy fully integrates research and innovation into France’s foreign policy. It is based on a simple belief: science enables the building of bridges where other channels of dialogue may falter. It promotes the sharing of knowledge, supports talent development, and contributes to the collective resolution of global challenges. This strategy has a dual objective. On the one hand, it aims to support France’s security and sovereignty interests by ensuring the protection of knowledge, sensitive technologies, and strategic infrastructures. On the other hand, it seeks to strengthen research internationalization, support higher education attractiveness, and promote universal values of science: academic freedom, scientific integrity, cooperation based on reciprocity.
It relies on a global diplomatic network, closely linked to research institutions, higher education establishments, operators, and international partners. It mobilizes all of France’s external action instruments to make scientific cooperation a vector of dialogue, stability, and shared innovation. Through this strategy, France asserts a clear ambition: to contribute to structuring an open, demanding, and responsible international scientific space, serving common progress, while fully participating in European dynamics aimed at enhancing the role of science in international relations.
Consult the scientific diplomacy strategy of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
