Magazine

In a world where geopolitics feels more fractured than at any time since the end of the Cold War, and the global economy is increasingly driven by knowledge and data, research plays an ever more visible role in international politics. This edition of the ERC Magazine brings together experts and scholars of science diplomacy from Europe and beyond. Maria Leptin reflects on the ERC’s role in science diplomacy, while Sir Peter Gluckman asks what it can achieve in today’s strained multilateral system. John Doyle revisits the Irish constitutional debate and the importance of scientific evidence, Alice Vadrot opens a window onto multilateral negotiations on ocean biodiversity, and Rebecca Adler‑Nissen explores what the emerging global ‘tech order’ means for diplomacy. A case study on three ERC Synergy Grants shows how work on political cleavages, phosphorus and urban water can reframe policy debates, and an essay by Simone Turchetti uses the history of global data exchange to ask what kind of science diplomacy the digital age really needs.