Since the second half of the last century, the need to meet global challenges has led to an increasing emphasis on science diplomacy, intended as the contribution of science to the development of international cooperation. Although this practice dates back a long way, in recent years science diplomacy has been progressively integrated into foreign policy decision-making processes and the work of international organisations, becoming an indispensable tool for assessing the actions needed to solve common problems, such as the spread of pandemics or the effects of climate change.

In this scenario, the course «Science Diplomacy in the 21st Century. Foundations, players and dynamics for a future practice», promoted by the International School of Science and Diplomacy of the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture, explores all the relevant aspects that characterise science diplomacy, from its origins to possible future interactions between the scientific and political-diplomatic spheres. Accordingly, the course not only provides a theoretical framework of the discipline, but also examines its operational areas, key players and application practices, offering participants the opportunity to measure themselves by carrying out practical activities in simulated contexts.

The course «Science Diplomacy in the 21st Century. Foundations, players and dynamics for a future practice» is addressed both to diplomatic staff and officials of international organisations and NGOs, as well as to academics, researchers and students, with the intention of promoting, since its first edition, a dialogue between different sensitivities and competences on the issue of the usefulness of science for the development of diplomatic relations and the reinforcement of international cooperation.