Making Science Diplomacy (SD) Work: A SD Network in Québec to Impact International Scientific Policies

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25453/plabs.33350871

Published on August 27th, 2026

Many observers and actors in science diplomacy have remarked over the past year that the concept has shifted, largely because the world has entered a disruptive phase marked by challenging geopolitical conditions [1]. The 2025 report by the Royal Society and the AAAS, “Science Diplomacy in an Era of Disruption,” highlights the many challenges facing both scientists and diplomats who seek to have a greater impact [2]. To navigate these changes, Turekian and Gluckman suggest “a trimodal model for science diplomacy that is aspirational, pragmatic, and transactional” [3].

Among the actions we have taken to address science diplomacy challenges and position Québec, we participated in the UNESCO Global Ministerial Dialogue on Science Diplomacy in March 2025 and announced that we would create a series of research chairs in science diplomacy [4]. Our objective was to foster collaboration between researchers and diplomats on international scientific policy issues. A year later, in March 2026, the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) launched eight research chairs in science diplomacy as part of a coordinated science diplomacy network. Each of the eight chairs will work on a specific theme related to global challenges, such as governance of artificial intelligence, Arctic and space diplomacy, climate change, Indigenous peoples’ science diplomacy, inclusion in education, fisheries stock management, and food sustainability. The decision to establish these chairs marks a strategic shift from ad hoc international scientific engagement toward a more structured policy capacity that can connect research, diplomacy, and public decision-making (see Annex 1 for details). Following advocacy by Québec’s Chief Scientist and its scientific community, science diplomacy is now an explicit instrument of the province’s international engagement and, since June 2026, is reflected in Québec’s new international policy [5].

Towards a national science diplomacy strategy

After the AAAS and Royal Society report, the European Commission adopted its first European Union framework for science diplomacy in May 2026. An important observation is that science diplomacy is no longer only about common and global goods. Jan Marco Müller, the official leading the science diplomacy recommendation for the European Commission, said in an interview that “building bridges and keeping channels open is, and continues to be, an important part of science diplomacy. But science diplomacy is also about defending your interests or defending sovereignty” [6]. The network is designed to help address these challenges.

While Québec has maintained a robust paradiplomacy policy for decades, science has only recently become part of its international policy framework [5], following sustained advocacy from the scientific community [7,8]. Although the chairs’ program was launched before this new policy, one of its objectives is to assemble leading expertise in science diplomacy and provide the tools needed to support such a strategy. By building an international network around these issues, the Government of Québec gains access to the expertise and knowledge base required to implement its strategy.

Tackling difficult questions

The network of chairs reflects a broader recognition that science diplomacy is no longer a peripheral academic exercise but an increasingly practical tool for advancing societal interests, navigating global tensions, and positioning Québec researchers and institutions as credible contributors to international policy debates. In that sense, the chairs and the network should be understood not only as research investments, but as part of a longer-term policy infrastructure for connecting knowledge production, international engagement, and collective strategic action. Several chairs reflect priorities identified in Québec’s international policy, including governance of artificial intelligence and the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity. The chair on global governance of AI, for instance, is currently running a scoping review of all science diplomacy initiatives related to its topic. It is also monitoring several multilateral initiatives, such as the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI established by the United Nations, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses [9,10].

This relates to Québec’s objective of promoting the discoverability of cultural and linguistic content. Because many chairholders are associated with French-speaking universities, both in Québec and abroad, the chairs contribute to the province’s and the FRQ’s objective of promoting science in French. The Chair on Indigenous knowledge systems in science diplomacy further contributes by leveraging expertise in Québec and globally on the importance of Indigenous knowledge in science.

The chairholders have expressed an interest in working beyond their specific themes rather than operating in silos. They aim to collaborate on cross-cutting issues such as sovereignty, research security, and academic freedom. They also raise practical questions, including whether scientists should continue collaborating with partners from countries that are at odds with their own nation or whether they should cut ties completely. Scientific collaboration is often considered the last link between countries that have severed all other relations, but the best way to translate this principle into practice for researchers is not self-evident. The answer likely lies between both extremes and remains difficult to navigate. Collaborative work may help identify practical responses to these challenges.

Training

A 2025 UNESCO workshop on science diplomacy training highlighted the need to bridge “the knowledge and practice gaps between science and diplomacy” [11]. Similar questions were raised during the launch workshop of the new Québec network.

Relevant conclusions emphasized that researchers must learn to practice science diplomacy, including writing briefing notes, communicating with different policy audiences, drafting op-ed articles, reading the context, and identifying the right timing. The reverse is also true: decision-makers and diplomats must be trained to receive and use scientific knowledge. [i]

Training must be immersive, international, and based on peer-to-peer learning, an approach that the chairs at Université Laval and Université de Montréal are already developing. For example, participants proposed joint training programs focused on shared issues, immersive arrangements such as pairing programs to increase researchers’ experience in public service and diplomacy, spaces for exchange such as communities of practice or collaborative workshops, and the co-production of science-diplomacy content, such as podcasts or joint educational tools. Hybrid profiles with experience in both scientific and diplomatic settings should be assigned as trainers to bridge the gap.

By sharing training platforms across institutions, the network can expand access to specialized learning opportunities, avoid duplication, and help develop a common foundation of skills among researchers, practitioners, and policy actors engaged in science diplomacy in Québec and internationally. [ii]

Conclusion

The chairholders are already at work and helping decision-makers translate Québec’s ambitions in science diplomacy into practice. Over the next five years, they will develop the expertise and knowledge base necessary to implement that strategy. Nationally, this network could become a steppingstone to inform the foreign policies of Québec and Canada. The network itself, its production of knowledge, and its capacity-development activities are well placed to inform all levels of government on science diplomacy and the key issues they face, while also serving as tools of soft power and influence. The result, we hope, will be to strengthen the skills of all actors in science diplomacy and to harness the full potential of science advice and science diplomacy through a coordinated network. We hope that this model will be replicated by other nations and science organizations.

References

1. Asano K, Arimoto T. Research security for actionable science diplomacy. Science & Diplomacy. 2024 Oct 17.

2. The Royal Society; American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science diplomacy in an era of disruption. London/Washington, DC: The Royal Society and AAAS; 2025 Feb.

3. Turekian VC, Gluckman P. Rewiring science diplomacy. Science. 2025 Aug 21;389(6762):761. doi:10.1126/science.aeb4815.

4. UNESCO. Science diplomacy in a rapidly changing world: building peace in the minds of men and women; report on the UNESCO Global Ministerial Dialogue on Science Diplomacy. Paris: UNESCO; 2025.

5. Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie. Politique internationale du Québec, Un Québec fiable dans un monde en bouleversement. Québec: Gouvernement du Québec; 2026 Jun.

6. Heilprin J. Science diplomacy is no longer just about cooperation, E.U. official says. The Science Diplomat. 2026 May 4.

7. Rüland AL. Le Québec a besoin d’une stratégie de diplomatie scientifique. La Presse. 2026 Jan 14.

8. Rüland AL, Maghoul P, Régis C, Pisano V, Chaloux A. Le Canada et le Québec doivent renforcer les liens entre la science et la diplomatie. Affaires universitaires. 2026 May 27.

9. Régis C, Foucault G, Audet M. Un groupe d’experts pour éclairer la gouvernance de l’IA par la science. The Conversation. 2026 May 13.

10. United Nations. Independent International Scientific Panel on AI. United Nations; 2026.

11. European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance. Workshop report on Science Diplomacy Training: Objectives, Practices and Recommendations. Paris/Vienna: European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance; 2025.

Notes

i. In Québec, this could take the form of an informal partnership among the Fonds de recherche du Québec, the Québec Institute of Diplomacy, and the research chairs. Such a partnership could help introduce participants in the Institute’s programs, as well as Québec’s future diplomats, to the chairs’ areas of expertise.

ii. The Chair for Arctic and Space Cooperation at Polytechnique Montréal is another concrete example, with members in Canada, the United States, and France jointly developing a Lab-to-Policy Program, which will support students, researchers, professionals, and Indigenous youth in transforming scientific results into governance tools and public policies. This will be complemented by an annual summer school in Arctic and Space Science Diplomacy.

The annex is available here.

Copyright: © 2026 [author(s)]. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in Frontiers Policy Labs is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Please join the conversation and share your perspective.