Editorial - From curiosity to global responsibility
International collaboration has always been an integral part of the work of scientists. Science thrives when people, institutions and governments share ideas, data and resources across borders.
Acting on this knowledge has become much more challenging in practice over the last few years. Geopolitical tensions, concerns about technological dependence, budget pressures and disinformation are all testing international cooperation at a time when addressing global challenges – from climate change and biodiversity loss to pandemics and digital security – clearly demands more cooperation, not less.
Science diplomacy is thus called for. Ideally, scientific cooperation can be a tool to foster more peaceful, stable and prosperous international relations, and foreign policy informed by the most reliable and up-to-date knowledge. To me, it is also about something much simpler: keeping scientific channels open whenever possible, even when political relations are difficult.
We see signs of fragmentation in the global research system, with the emergence of rival ‘science blocs’ and duplication of effort. Scientists and institutions in less well-off parts of the world struggle to access funding, infrastructure and networks. At the same time, polarisation and the perception that benefits are shared unevenly undermine trust in science. Limiting cooperation may seem like a quick fix, but in the long run it hinders innovation and makes it more difficult to address problems that are inherently transnational.
If we want science to play its full role, we need to be clear about a few basic principles. Firstly, we should treat knowledge as a global common – a shared resource in which results, data and infrastructures are open and interoperable, while still protected by appropriate safeguards.
Secondly, science can itself be a powerful tool for diplomacy. Large, cutting-edge projects in areas such as climate, particle physics, space, genomics, nuclear safety or artificial intelligence bring together researchers and institutions across borders and disciplines, and can keep lines of communication open when other channels falter.
Thirdly, inclusivity is essential. From my own conversations with researchers in very different settings, it is obvious that a global science system cannot be credible if low- and middle-income countries and diverse perspectives are not at the table.
The relationship between science and diplomacy also runs in the other direction. Diplomacy that ignores scientific evidence is weakened. When negotiations are driven more by wishful thinking than by solid research, international agreements quickly become symbolic and hard to defend at home. Climate science and epidemiology have shown both sides of this story: how a shared evidence base can help nations move forward together – and how costly it becomes when warnings are ignored.
Where does the ERC fit into this picture? The ERC was created to support excellent frontier research driven by the curiosity of individual researchers, and that remains our mission today. But by supporting outstanding researchers to pursue ambitious ideas, wherever they come from and wherever they go, the ERC also strengthens Europe’s connectivity with the world. ERC-funded teams provide evidence for international climate assessments, contribute to global health preparedness, help shape debates on the governance of emerging technologies, and co-lead major research infrastructures. They do this not because we ask them to ‘be diplomats’, but because excellent research naturally feeds into policy discussions.
In a more fragmented world, curiosity driven frontier research may sometimes seem like a luxury. But giving up on it would be a mistake. We cannot complain about a lack of trust in science and, at the same time, starve the very research that builds that trust. Keeping science as open as possible worldwide, and investing in lasting relationships, infrastructures, and shared values of academic freedom and integrity, is one concrete contribution that we can make as the European Research Council, and as part of the wider global research community.
Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council
