Canada’s place in the world depends on effective, unified science diplomacy, one that secures its full access to scientific knowledge, keeps its economy at the cutting edge of technology, upholds scientific freedom globally and puts science in the service of peace.These are the conclusions I reached in a speech I gave at the Canada-GESDA Summit on Science Diplomacy, recently held in Montréal. Organized jointly by the University of Montréal, McGill University and the University of Calgary — in partnership with GESDA (Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator) — this major event brought together scientists, diplomats and policymakers to lay the groundwork for a future Canadian diplomatic strategy.Invited as a diplomat-in-residence at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Montréal, I outlined the objectives of science diplomacy, the ideals it pursues, the interests at stake and its vital importance for Canada in the current technological and geo-strategic context.The four pillars of science diplomacyScience diplomacy rests on at least four fundamental objectives:Giving Canadian scientists cross-border access to the best minds, laboratories, teams and research partners, those that are most complementary, most effective and best funded.Generating maximum economic benefits for Canada and its businesses — through international scientific engagement — in the form of innovations, cutting-edge technologies, contracts, investments, market share and promising partnerships.Promoting Canadian standards and values internationally: academic freedom, the protection of researchers, their independence and credibility, fraud detection, intellectual property and cultural diversity (including research in French). In short, science in the service of humanity, not the other way around.Using science to ease tensions and resolve commercial and political conflicts of all kinds (health regulations, border demarcations, fishing rights and so on).These four objectives form the historical framework of science diplomacy.To achieve them, the fundamental challenge is to reconcile an ideal with a competing interest. The ideal is the free flow of ideas, an essential condition for the advancement of science. The competing interest is the exclusive ownership of scientific knowledge.Governments seek scientific co-operation and sign numerous agreements and co-operation protocols. But they also want to protect the intellectual property and competitive advantages of their scientists, companies and armed forces, and to effectively combat industrial, political and military espionage.Today’s challengesEach era is naturally shaped by its own geopolitical and technological context. Today’s context has three defining features:The artificial intelligence revolution, building on the digital revolution;The technological dominance of a handful of private mega-corporations, mostly American;The rise of China — a country under a non-democratic regime, outside the orbit of North America, Europe, and Japan — as a scientific superpower.One could add a fourth feature: Trumpism, meaning the current U.S. administration’s determination to undermine scientific freedom at home and scientific co-operation abroad. This is making it harder, in particular, to regulate digital and AI giants, which are mostly American and enjoy the backing of President Donald Trump’s administration.The latest example is the U.S. Department of Commerce’s decision to block non-American citizens’ access to the latest artificial intelligence models from the company Anthropic.Caught between three fortressesDuring the Cold War, the Soviet Union was a scientific power, but it operated alongside our economic and scientific networks, not within them. Today’s China, by contrast, is fully integrated into the global scientific system.China wields major influence over the rollout of new scientific infrastructure and data centres, funding and training sources, satellite networks and AI systems. This poses serious challenges for Canada in terms of security — cybersecurity, above all — and the safety of scientific co-operation and academic exchange.Faced with rising U.S. protectionism and China’s dynamism, the European Union is working to establish its own scientific sovereignty. The European Parliament is currently debating the European Commission’s plans for technological sovereignty, and there is talk of a possible “Buy Europe Research Act.”There is therefore a real risk that a country like Canada could end up caught between three fortresses: the U.S., China and Europe. This makes it absolutely essential for Canadians to develop highly effective science diplomacy to safeguard full access to the global scientific community. À lire aussi : How Eurostack could offer Canada a route to digital independence from the United States A ‘Team Canada’ approachTo keep growing internationally, Canadian companies need the country to strengthen its industrial and scientific alliances with other allied countries. This is all the more pressing given that major projects now involve research and development costs far beyond the reach of any single company.This is why effective Canadian science diplomacy matters: it can showcase Canada’s strengths in science, technology and innovation, and highlight the country’s legitimacy, stability and reliability as a trusted partner. This last point gives Canada an edge over competing countries that may have greater scientific capacity but no longer inspire the same confidence.The success of this Canadian diplomacy will depend heavily on teamwork, a “Team Canada” approach bringing together our governments, embassies, businesses and universities. Canada needs to get better at working together, and that includes its key institutions: Statistics Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Business Development Bank of Canada and others.Canadian organizations must avoid working in silos, with every company and university acting on its own, and instead make the most of the extraordinary brand that is our country. Canada sells well; it opens doors.The European exampleThanks to strong teamwork, Canada has secured full access to Horizon Europe, the world’s largest research and innovation funding program. In May, the European Council adopted a recommendation identifying Horizon Europe as “the European Union’s most powerful tool for global science diplomacy.”Countries with a strong tradition of industry-university collaboration have an edge here. The Baltic states, in particular, are doing very well. For a country like France, with its strong tradition of state intervention, the learning curve has been longer: the program has existed for 40 years, yet it’s only in the last decade that France has begun claiming its fair share of funding.Horizon Europe ends in late 2027. Its successor will be Framework Program 10 (FP10), now under discussion in the European Parliament. Canada must secure access to this new program equal to the full access it currently enjoys under Horizon Europe.Canada must also be included in the new area FP10 will cover: dual-use research—innovations, technologies or knowledge originally developed for civilian markets that can also serve defence, intelligence or military purposes.There is a real risk that associated states, including Canada, could be excluded from dual-use research, particularly in sensitive sectors such as AI, quantum technology, and cybersecurity.This must be avoided at all costs. Canada is a valuable ally and must be included as a full-fledged research partner. Achieving that will take action from companies, universities and researchers alike.Stéphane Dion ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.