UC Science Diplomacy Research Group

Science Diplomacy Research Group

Research team:

Co-PIs: Professor Natalia Chaban and Dr Zita Joyce, UC Media and Communication

Post-Doctoral Investigator: Dr Sam Brett, UC Media and Communication

Science diplomacy – defined as “the direct or indirect use of science, scientific knowledge and scientific cooperation to advance diplomatic goals” (Royal Society, 2010: v-vi) – has gained significant relevance in recent years.  At the 2025 opening debate of the UNESCO Global Ministerial Dialogue on Science Diplomacy, International Science Council President Peter Gluckman delivered a strong call for renewed collaboration between governments, multilateral agencies, and the global scientific community. 

This project explores how the intersections of art and science might help us to re-think science diplomacy from a ‘grassroots’ practice perspective as well as offering a new area of the multistakeholder diplomacy activities that provide economic benefits for New Zealand’s cultural, scientific, and creative sectors and enhance our wider economic, trade, tourism and diplomatic interests.

The intersection of science diplomacy with art and cultural diplomacy has an additional context in New Zealand’s recently announced Cultural Diplomacy International Programme (CDIP) 2026. CDIP prioritises overseas cultural diplomacy activities that provide economic benefits for New Zealand’s cultural and creative sectors and enhance our wider economic, trade, tourism and diplomatic interests. This offers the prospect of ArtScience work supporting national priorities in both science and cultural diplomacy.

There are two elements of the pilot project: 1) The pilot research of selected ArtScience cases of cultural and science diplomacy, and 2) the Roundtable discussion to establish a research network. The key research focus of the pilot is on mapping a range of New Zealand and International science-art intersections in their contribution to science diplomacy.

This course develops understanding of science diplomacy defined as "the direct or indirect use of science, scientific knowledge and scientific cooperation to advance diplomatic goals" (Royal Society, 2010). Science diplomacy has gained significant relevance in recent years. The 2025 UNESCO Global Ministerial Dialogue on Science Diplomacy issued a strong call for renewed collaboration between governments, multilateral agencies and the global scientific community. The course develops understanding of science diplomacy from 3 perspectives: Diplomacy for Science (the use of diplomatic action to facilitate international scientific collaboration), Science for Diplomacy (the use of science as a soft power tool to improve international relations between countries, build trust and maintain dialogue) and Science in Diplomacy (informing foreign policy objectives of a nation and international community with scientific advice). This 15-point course brings together interdisciplinary expertise. It is team-taught by academics from the UC Arts, Science and Law. Its design has 4 modules: (1) science diplomacy as a type of (public) diplomacy and nation’s strategic communication globally; (2) science communication in international relations; (3) science diplomacy and scientists: history and present day; (4) Science diplomacy and international legal frameworks.