The SEBBM Journal is a channel for analysis, reflection and dissemination of scientific activity in Spain and of public and private research policies. Its origins date back to 1963 and it currently publishes thematic issues covering transversal research in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology. The articles are commissioned by the best specialists in the subject. Each issue also highlights the most relevant educational and scientific work of SEBBM members, as well as SEBBM news.
The current issue ‘Science Diplomacy' (nº 230, September 2026) has been coordinated by Dr. Eduardo Oliver from Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CIB), CSIC, Madrid , Spain.
'Science has always been international, but it has not always been diplomatic. Collaboration between laboratories, mobility and large-scale infrastructure are a natural part of the advancement of knowledge. Vaccines, climate, biodiversity, artificial intelligence and global health serve as a reminder that the big scientific questions are no longer resolved within national borders, yet they cannot be separated from the tensions and responsibilities of states either.
That is why scientific diplomacy is of interest. Because verified data is needed to negotiate international agreements, anticipate crises and make better decisions. Because scientific cooperation fosters trust where traditional diplomacy reaches its limits. And because knowledge has become a strategic asset: it generates progress, but also power, influence and dependence. In a fragmented world, science must remain a space for dialogue, governed by rules, reciprocity and an understanding of the risks it entails.
This topic comes at a particularly opportune moment. The Council’s recent Recommendation on an EU framework for science diplomacy marks a shift in scale: it is no longer simply a set of valuable initiatives, but has become a strategic tool for European external action. Its principle that science should be ‘as open as possible and as closed as necessary’ permeates the articles in this issue: protecting the scientific system must not be an excuse to close it off, but a condition for keeping it open and intact.'
Mercedes Moro from CNIO, Madrid, explains the concept of scientific diplomacy. Based on historical and contemporary examples, she identifies the three classic dimensions of scientific diplomacy: science in diplomacy, diplomacy for science, and science for diplomacy. The article helps to clarify what scientific diplomacy is not: not every instance of international collaboration or outreach activity constitutes, in itself, a diplomatic strategy. https://doi.org/10.18567/sebbmrev_230.202609.dc1
Leire Leguina, head of the Scientific Diplomacy and Scientific Advice Unit, Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) in Spain explain how, over the course of a decade, Spain has moved from pioneering initiatives to a model recognised for its collaborative nature. The Spanish experience has been shaped by the interplay between the scientific system, the state’s external action and organised scientific civil society, with milestones such as the pilot programme for scientific coordinators in embassies, the Madrid Declaration and the active participation in the European debate. https://doi.org/10.18567/sebbmrev_230.202609.dc2
Sara Alvira, Igor Arrieta, Irene Echeverría-Altuna, Javier Pardo-Díaz, Carmen Sánchez-Cañizares from Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom (CERU) look at the model of organised Spanish scientific diaspora, RAICEX. Networks such as RAICEX and its associations are not merely communities offering professional support. They act as outposts, bridges and forums for dialogue between scientific communities, government bodies, embassies and international institutions. In an era of competition for talent and a need for stable alliances, this comparative perspective is a diplomatic asset of the highest order. https://doi.org/10.18567/sebbmrev_230.202609.dc3
Franklin Carrero-Martínez from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, EE.UU invites us to consider scientific diplomacy not only as a concept, but also as a practice and a profession. His proposal to distinguish between Track 1, Track 1.5 and Track 2 shifts the focus from ‘who does science’ to ‘who has the authority to engage, influence or keep spaces for dialogue open’. This perspective helps us to understand why very different actors can play complementary roles. https://doi.org/10.18567/sebbmrev_230.202609.dc4
The current issue also includes educational and scientific contributions:
'AlphaGenome: AI applied to unravelling the genome and its thousands of variants'
'Protein mission! The story of a biotechnological ‘kidnapping’ to rekindle interest in biochemistry'
The issue is available at https://sebbm.es/revista/numeros/diplomacia-cientifica/
Part of this post is a translation of text written in Spanish by Dr. Eduardo Oliver from CIB, CSIC, Spain and published on the SEBBM website on September, 2026.
Reference:
Oliver E. 2026. Diplomacia científica. SEBBM 230. https://doi.org/10.18567/sebbmrev_230.202609.dc6