There are, however, significant collaborations that involve exclusively emerging economies. Intergovernmental science organisations such as the African Light Source, the Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) — a joint undertaking of Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and Cyprus — and the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency are all good examples of nations with emerging economies engaging in multilateral science diplomacy on their own terms. The value of such endeavours in establishing credentials for global engagement is clear from South Africa’s success with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a radio telescope project that is showcasing the nation’s science and engineering talent, creating programmes to further develop its human capital and burnishing its reputation as a rising power on the world economic and intellectual stage. Although there are hurdles to overcome, there are clear reasons to encourage and pursue more such inclusive collaborations between countries of differing economic means.
The nature and complexity of reciprocal benefits in science is likely to become a more important part of the landscape for science diplomacy, particularly with regional science diplomacy projects providing a new way to navigate rivalries between bigger, global powers. New skillsets and training will be needed to fully explore reciprocity in science. Another important dimension is the generational shift, where issues such as social justice are becoming increasingly important to actors in science diplomacy.
