The EU Science Diplomacy Alliance welcomed the University for Continuing Education Krems as a new member during a conference held in Paris from 23-24 June 2022. The Alliance acts as a hub for collaborative activities and voluntary coordination to highlight and select different areas and innovative activities to pursue. The Research Lab Democracy and Society in Transition at the University for Continuing Education Krems is in charge of the joint agendas.
The University for Continuing Education Krems has been accepted as a full member of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance, a joint initiative established under the auspices of three Horizon 2020 science diplomacy projects, on 1 July 2022. This alliance facilitates interactions and dialogues, training, institutional capacity building, and coordination of third-party fundraising. As a hub for innovative activities, the alliance is expected to address a wide variety of societal challenges over time. “Following its approach to have a high impact on society, the University for Continuing Education Krems is intensively addressing current and future challenges in research and teaching, which, consequently offers many opportunities to cooperate with the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance,” says Prof Viktoria Weber, Vice-Rector for Research and Sustainable Development at the University for Continuing Education Krems.
Evidence-based decision-making
The Research Lab Democracy and Society in Transition, run by Christina Hainzl, who also attended the conference in Paris, will further develop this cooperation. It bridges the gap to the field of science diplomacy, as it deals with cutting-edge research that needs to be communicated to policy makers in concise, usable formats. Examples include health policy and societal issues with a particular focus on digitization, all of which reveal perspectives regarding future developments as well as directions for political intervention to take. In addition, policy briefs offer access to current debates, for example on trust in science and politics in the context of health policy.
About the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance
Launched on 19 March 2021, the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance is a joint initiative created by the Horizon 2020 projects S4D4C, InsSciDE and EL-CSID. It aims to maintain and build on the networks, influence and momentum consolidated by the three projects. The activities of the Alliance are directed to developing, maintaining and organizing joint research projects, capacity building and training activities (such as open online courses, summer schools, trainings, etc.) on the topic of science diplomacy. Its objectives include promoting and creating interfaces for knowledge exchange and interaction, as well as following up on the European Union's science diplomacy activities.
