IV International Symposium "SCIENCE DIPLOMACY IN A MULTIPOLAR WORLD: SCIENCE. DIALOGUE. TRUST"
02–04 December 2026
St. Petersburg (The Russian Federation)
Applications are now open for the IV International Symposium “Science Diplomacy in a Multipolar World: Science. Dialogue. Trust,” to be held on 02–04 December 2026 within the VI Young Scientists Congress in the St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Following the success of the 3rd International Symposium on Science Diplomacy and Scientific Heritage held last year at Ibn Haldun University, the Alliance of Civilizations Institute is pleased to co-organize this edition together with the Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences (SIFHAMS) at the University of Sharjah (UAE), the UNESCO Chair on Science Diplomacy and Scientific Heritage at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the UNESCO Chair on Future Studies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University), the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO and the Russian Association for the Advancement of Science.
This edition will address science diplomacy in a rapidly evolving multipolar world, highlighting international and national efforts to strengthen science diplomacy and the need for closer links between research and policymaking, with particular emphasis on the role of young scientists as future actors in this field. The IV International Symposium will take place as part of the VI Young Scientists Congress business programme where particular attention will be given to interactions among science diplomacy actors at multiple levels, including governments, scientific communities, international and non-governmental organizations, development institutions, and high-tech industries.
The symposium will be held in both English and Russian with simultaneous interpretation.
Who can apply
Young researchers in the field of science diplomacy and related areas are invited to take part in the Symposium. Early-career scholars, practitioners, and advanced graduate students working on science diplomacy, scientific heritage, or the governance of science and technology are especially encouraged to submit proposals.
Speaker selection will be conducted by the Symposium Scientific Committee through an open call for proposals. Proposals will be evaluated on academic and/or professional merit, alignment with the Symposium themes, and their potential to foster cross-sector and cross-regional dialogue.
Application information
For participation in the Symposium, applicants should send a 500-words abstract in English via the online registration form. All abstracts must address one of the following tracks:
- Science Diplomacy in a Multipolar World: Concepts, Models, and Narratives.
- Science, Dialogue, Trust: Principles and Practical Mechanisms.
- Mega-Science and Large-Scale Research Infrastructures as Platforms for Diplomacy.
- Social Sciences and Humanities in Science Diplomacy.
- Scientific Heritage and the Diplomacy of Knowledge.
- Actors and Ecosystems of Science Diplomacy.
- Global Challenges and the Future of Science.
Deadline for abstract submission: 09 August 2026.
Registration link: https://unescofutures.hse.ru/en/polls/1172116550.html
For further information please contact: Francisco Brambila fbrambila@hse.ru
All application information and the full call are available on the event website via the registration link above.
