Science Diplomacy for a More Resonant European Research Area

During almost three decades of its implementation, the European Research Area has proven its worth as a strategic consolidator of research potential and a magnet for internationally excelling expertise. Zane Šime proposes considering science diplomacy-themed learning and training events as resourceful enablers to continue amplifying the global appeal of the European Research Area.

Single Market for Talent and Ideas
The European Research Area is a prominent framework field for a free and well-curated flow and circulation of talent, ideas, and research data. It has a solid global reach. Science diplomacy holds the potential to amplify the overall international magnitude and global intellectual sonority of the European Research Area.

One of the most obvious and proven means for such potential in science diplomacy is the numerous and regularly convened seasonal and training schools featuring science diplomacy as an overarching theme or key component. These events have the potential not only to teach early-career researchers, young professionals, and lifelong learners about the latest developments in science diplomacy within research and policy domains, but also to stimulate curiosity among attendees regarding the vast reservoir of opportunities offered by the European Research Area throughout an academic lifecycle and a career in a research-intensive technology sector.

Science diplomacy-focused learning events can serve as immersive gateways into the European Research Area. Likewise, for those already familiar with this strategic framework of the European Union, these occasions offer a chance to widen their horizons and explore promising new resources—acting as valuable enablers to climb the academic or entrepreneurial ladder more smoothly, convincingly, and rapidly. This is an invitation to fully acknowledge the admirable role of the European Research Area as a versatile career accelerator.

New Terms for EU Studies
EU science diplomacy training and schooling occasions are of short duration and inclusive character. Thus, they should be clearly distinguished from consolidated intellectual expert circles, such as epistemic communities. In my article "The European Epistemic Atmospherics of China-in-Paris", to be released by China Report, I introduce the notion of epistemic atmospherics. This newly coined term refers to a nascent stage of multilateral intellectual engagement without downgrading this mode of interaction to a weakly institutionalised epistemic community. There are no automatic evolutionary passages from epistemic atmospherics to an epistemic community.

The EU science diplomacy schools, short courses, seminar series, and workshops hold magnificent opportunities to explore the full potential of epistemic atmospherics. Their ubiquitous relation to 'Eranetisation' is a matter of scholarly curiosity. Eranetisation is another recent conceptual innovation. It refers to the propensity of EU beneficiaries to continue prioritising opportunities offered by the European Research Area, instead of investing the bulk of their intellectual and networking effort in staple initiatives maintained by other global science heavyweights. It is not a binary choice; rather, it represents a preference for one strategic direction over another in terms of where the largest proportion of peer-to-peer engagement should occur, accompanied by a deprioritisation of major initiatives promoted by other international science poles.

Engagement Without an Intellectually Burdensome Commitment
Epistemic atmospherics offer space for joint cogitation. However, they do not automatically lead to strong consensual conclusions among those involved. The term refers to convening spaces where individuals engage in nuanced conversations respectfully and with utmost curiosity—not because they are tasked with finding a mutually agreeable common denominator. Epistemic atmospherics do not oblige participants to consolidate a joint stance, advocate for a cause from a fixed standpoint, or support a specific rationale.

This idea of seeking to better understand counterparts and dissect viewpoints without committing to formalising the interaction with an agreed stance stems from experience gained in a versatile training school. However, numerous similar events have proven that this is not unique to one specific occasion. A wealth of future opportunities exists to nurture internationally inclusive and geoeconomically considerate epistemic atmospherics, continuing to map essential intellectual diversity on key matters of European interest. Across a diverse pool of selected talent, such events can continuously spark fresh ideas on how to Eranetise—or, so to say, 'go ERA'.

Ideally and theoretically speaking, such a strategic propensity to make the European Research Area work in one's individual favour—and for the benefit of internationally salient challenges—does not require enlisting in one or several epistemic communities. Epistemic atmospherics allow individuals to remain true to their academic or entrepreneurial convictions while staying inquisitive and open to alternative perspectives.