The EU Commission has announced its decision to fund a new project, entitled 'European Leadership in Cultural, Science, and Innovation Diplomacy' (EL-CSID), as part of the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme.

Led by Professor Luk van Langenhove at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), EL-CSID is a programme of research worth a total of €2.3M of which €300,000 has been awarded to PAIS.

Professor Diane Stone will be coordinating Work Package 3 'Cultural and Science Diplomacy: The Transnational and Collaborative Dynamic' and she will be joined by Dr Andre Broome and Dr Chris Browning who are named researchers on the project.

PAIS is delighted with the outcome. Professor Ben Clift, Director of Research, says: "Congratulations go to all those involved in preparing the bid. Securing funding for H20/20 consortia and work packages is extremely competitive, and this really is a wonderful achievement. We look forward to assisting Diane in co-ordinating the Warwick-based work package, and helping Andre and Chris carry out their research on the project"

The over-arching objectives of EL-CSID are threefold:

• To detail and analyse the manner in which the European Union (EU) operates in the domains of culture and science diplomacy in the current era; comparing its bilateral and multilateral cultural and science ties between states, regions, and public and private international organisations.
• To examine the degree to which cultural and science diplomacy can enhance the interests of the EU in the contemporary world order and to identify:

How cultural and science diplomacy, and innovations in them, can contribute to Europe’s standing as an international actor in a manner comparable to that of the other major contemporary actors, particularly the USA and China.

Opportunities offered by enhanced coordination and collaboration amongst the EU, its members and their extra-European partners.

Constraints posed by economic and socio-political factors affecting the evolving operating environments of both science and cultural diplomacy.

• To identify a series of mechanisms/platforms and tools to raise awareness among relevant stakeholders of the importance of science and culture as vehicles for enhancing the EU’s external relations.