The European Union Science Diplomacy Alliance was founded in 2022 to build on the momentum of the four projects on science diplomacy (Horizon 2020, S4D4C, InsSciDE and EL-CSID), area of special interest for AVRIST. 

This Alliance is for the moment an informal structure – a working group examines the various avenues to give it legal personality – which brings together more than thirty members, of which in France, AVRIST (Association pour la valorisation des relations internationales scientifiques et techniques), CNRS, IRD and Université de Lille. Also, in the French-speaking world, please mention the Association of French-Speaking Universities (AUF). This Alliance operates with a rotating presidency held until June 2024 by FECYT – Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la tecnología.

AVRIST was chosen to take over the Presidency for one year from July 2024. For this year of presidency, AVRIST proposed to the Alliance 4 priorities – three thematic and one organizational:

• Training of researchers and diplomats on the issues and practices of scientific diplomacy.
• Science diplomacy and the global South: science diplomacy of the countries of the global South. Science diplomacy between Europe and the South.
• European scientific diplomacy is active in the face of obstacles to research and academic freedom.

For more information, please contact contact@avrist.fr.