Austria hosts its first Science Diplomacy Roundtable
On 4 November 2025, Austria marked a milestone in advancing science diplomacy with the country’s first Science Diplomacy Roundtable, jointly organised by the Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. The event, held under the theme “Brücken bauen mit Wissenschaft” (“Building Bridges with Science”), embodied a strong spirit of collaboration, dialogue and shared purpose in connecting science and diplomacy.
The roundtable gathered experts and practitioners from academia, government and international networks to exchange perspectives on strengthening Austria’s and Europe’s role in global science diplomacy. Keynote speaker Jan Marco Müller (European Commission, DG Research and Innovation) outlined developments towards a European Science Diplomacy Framework, while Martina Schubert (Diplomatische Akademie Wien) explored strategies for capacity building and training the next generation of “science diplomats”. Professor Alice Vadrot (Universität Wien) led an engaging session on the governance of global commons, and Elke Dall (Zentrum für Soziale Innovation) highlighted the importance of foresight in shaping future-oriented science diplomacy agendas.
During the event, the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance was also presented to the audience, introducing its mission to foster cooperation, knowledge exchange and capacity-building in science diplomacy across Europe.
Participants contributed actively to a lively Tour de Table session, sharing experiences and ideas that demonstrated a collective commitment to building bridges across disciplines, institutions and borders. The discussions underlined Austria’s growing engagement with science diplomacy as part of the broader European effort to link research, innovation and foreign policy for sustainable global impact.
The roundtable laid the groundwork for future initiatives and partnerships, confirming the vitality of Austria’s emerging science diplomacy community and its alignment with the European and international agenda promoted by the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance.
Photo credit: © BMEIA / Hindler