The study is undertaken in the framework of the European Leadership in Cultural, Science and
Innovation Diplomacy (EL-CSID) project. This project has the ambition to codify and articulate the
relevance of cultural, science and innovation diplomacy for EU external relations as part of a
systematic and strategic approach. It aims to identify how the Union and its member states might
collectively and individually develop a good institutional and strategic policy environment for extraregional
culture and science diplomacy.
The overarching objectives of this project are threefold:
1. To detail and analyse the manner in which the EU operates in the domains of cultural and
science diplomacy in the current era; comparing its bilateral and multilateral cultural and
science ties with other states, regions, and public and private international organisations.
2. To examine the degree to which cultural, science and innovation diplomacy can enhance the
interests of the EU in the contemporary world order and specifically, to identify:
a) How cultural and science diplomacy can contribute to Europe’s standing as an
international actor;
b) Opportunities offered by enhanced coordination and collaboration amongst the EU, its
members and their extra-European partners;
c) Constraints, both existing and evolving, posed by economic and socio-political factors
affecting the operating environments of both science and cultural diplomacy.
3. To identify a series of mechanisms/platforms to raise awareness among relevant
stakeholders of the importance of science and culture as vehicles for enhancing the EU's
external relations. The research generates both scholarly work and policy-oriented output,
which is disseminated through an extensive and targeted dissemination programme
