Science is not just a vector of knowledge. It is an instrument of influence, a tool of cooperation, a factor of attractiveness, and a stake of sovereignty. At a time when climate, digital, health, and energy transitions are reshaping international balances, a country’s ability 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 a priority at the European level. The European Union is developing a more structured reflection on the role of science in its international relations, particularly through initiatives engaged by the European Commission towards the development of a European framework for scientific diplomacy, the first recommendations of which were published in 2025.
The ministerial strategy of scientific diplomacy fully integrates research and innovation at the heart of France’s foreign policy. It is based on a simple conviction: science helps build bridges where other channels of dialogue may become fragile. It promotes the circulation of knowledge, supports talent development, and contributes to the collective resolution of global challenges. This strategy has a dual objective. On one hand, it supports France’s security and sovereignty interests by ensuring the protection of knowledge, sensitive technologies, and strategic infrastructure. On the other hand, it aims to enhance the internationalization of research, support the attractiveness of higher education, and promote the universal values of science: academic freedom, scientific integrity, reciprocity-based cooperation.
It relies on a global diplomatic network, closely linked to research organizations, higher education institutions, operators, and international partners. It mobilizes all instruments of France’s external action 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 the common progress, while fully participating in European dynamics aimed at strengthening the role of science in international relations.
Consult the scientific diplomacy strategy of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
