From Paris to Montreal: Science Diplomacy Gets Institutional Backing
Quebec’s new network of research chairs turns last year’s UNESCO science diplomacy agenda into funded training, research and international partnerships.
One year after UNESCO’s Global Science Ministerial Dialogue called for stronger science diplomacy frameworks, a concrete response has emerged — not from a major power, but from a province.
Quebec has launched one of the most structured investments in science diplomacy to date: a network of university research chairs funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec and the Office of the Chief Scientist.
The announcement comes as international scientific collaboration remains central to major projects such as NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is sending a multinational crew of American and Canadian astronauts around the Moon.
The initiative reflects a shift in how science diplomacy is understood. It is no longer framed primarily as informal collaboration across borders, but as a capacity that can be built and sustained.
The 2025 UNESCO dialogue highlighted a changing landscape in which science diplomacy increasingly helps manage tensions between openness and security, advances national interests, and addresses shared risks from emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
Quebec’s initiative, announced this week, reflects that shift. The research chairs are designed to train scientists to act as advisers, negotiators and intermediaries between governments, research institutions and international organizations, all roles that have become more central as scientific issues move to the core of global governance.
Projects funded under the program must involve international partners and secure external funding, embedding cross-border collaboration into their structure. The funding model is modest but structured: each chair receives provincial support matched by universities and international partners.
Rémi Quirion, Quebec’s chief scientist and president of the International Network for Government Science Advice, has argued that recent geopolitical shocks and the experience of COVID-19 exposed gaps in the capacity to integrate scientific expertise into decision-making.
“Research on science diplomacy has gained momentum over the past 20 years,” he and two strategic advisors, Charles Morissette and Laurent Corbeil, wrote. “In addition to mitigating the disruptions caused by geopolitical events, science diplomacy addresses crucial global issues including the rapid development of artificial intelligence; climate change; global health; food insecurity; democratic crises; and global governance of emerging technologies.”
Science diplomacy as influence
The initiative, officially launched in Montreal last week, also reflects a broader evolution in framing science diplomacy as more of a tool of influence than as a neutral bridge between countries.
In Europe, efforts are under way to balance open scientific exchange with research security and strategic interests. In Anglo-American contexts, institutions such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Society have similarly reframed science diplomacy as a practical instrument for advancing national or organizational priorities.
At the same time, new groups are entering the field. Technology companies engage directly with governments, and some countries have established “tech envoys” or embedded scientific expertise within foreign policy structures. The boundaries between science, commerce and statecraft are becoming less distinct.
Building the interface
Quebec’s network is designed to operate at this intersection, with partnerships spanning multiple regions.
The chair on artificial intelligence, based at Université de Montréal, includes collaborators from Italy, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Colombia, Cameroon, Senegal and Benin. Another, focused on Arctic and space governance at Polytechnique Montréal, connects institutions in Canada, France and the United States.
Other chairs extend into Asia and Africa, including partnerships with the University of Tokyo on fisheries governance and institutions in South Africa and Rwanda on food systems and development.
The geographic spread reflects a deliberate design: science diplomacy as a distributed network rather than a single national capability. Across themes, from Arctic governance and AI to food security and Indigenous knowledge, the chairs are structured around problems that require both scientific expertise and international coordination.
By tying research to policy engagement and international collaboration, the initiative aims to build a pipeline of professionals capable of working across scientific and diplomatic systems. Quebec’s approach shows how regional governments can invest in science diplomacy through institutions and personnel, even if their scale remains modest.