Science diplomacy: the Impact Story of S4D4C

In April 2021, the Horizon 2020-funded project Using science for/in diplomacy for addressing global challenges (S4D4C) come to its end.

The project’s work touched upon various contexts related to science diplomacy and aimed for academic impacts as well as policy-related ones, at training and networking. As an interdisciplinary social scientific research and innovation project, it explored the topic conceptually as well as empirically and published academic articles, policy reports, infographics, training materials etc. and engaged in the EU as well as globally in outreach and networking activities building and nurturing a community. The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) was an S4D4C associated partner.

The project's results, i.e. case studies, publications, the proposed New Protocol for Science Diplomacy, the Madrid Declaration as well as the S4D4C toolkits on how to organise science diplomacy training activities, including the open online course and the report about knowledge exchange activities, will remain available for the community and open to use. The S4D4C website and all its content will remain online until April 2025, 4 years after the end of the project.

The Impact Story of S4D4C

The final report "The S4D4C Impact Story" summarises where the team behind the project sees its main achievements. This publication reflects on initially expected outcomes and effects but also considers outcomes and impacts that were not anticipated at the beginning of the project. For one, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted shortcomings in the current interaction between international relations and scientific cooperation and thus sparked a growing interest in ongoing S4D4C work within the wider science diplomacy community.

This, in turn, led to increased interest in the role of science, science advice to international policy and SD and thus to S4D4C’s topics and outputs. This document reflects on some aspects of the monitoring and the effects and impacts that the S4D4C team was able to deduct.

European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance

Some of the S4D4C partners, together with colleagues from other science diplomacy projects and stakeholders continue to work under the umbrella of the European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance (check www.science-diplomacy.eu for updated information: the Alliance is reachable via contact@science-diplomacy.eu).

Science diplomacy on social media

The community established through the project via social media will also be maintained under this Alliance. S4D4C invitea you to keep connected via the LinkedIn Group and twitter (now active as @SciDipAlliance).