Dr Alan Bernstein, President, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

Science diplomacy: Canada's opportunity to lead

By Dr Alan Bernstein

One of the under-reported stories from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's trip in 2012 to India may be one of the most important and enduring. The new India-Canada partnership for multidisciplinary research, led by the universities of Alberta, British Columbia and Toronto, brings together researchers and multi-sector partners from Canada and India to focus on one of the world's most pressing global challenges — safe drinking water.

International science partnerships such as the one announced with India should be viewed as important instruments in Canada's diplomatic toolbox. By its very nature, science is a global activity that transcends language, politics, and geography. Hence, science diplomacy — building international relations through scientific collaborations and the sharing of knowledge — offers Canada an unparalleled opportunity to define a distinctive role in international affairs.

Science provides an ideal bridge between people and nations. First and foremost, it has improved the lives of people everywhere. And because the culture of science is one of openness, of accepting nothing based on authority, superstition or ideology, but on evidence, science is a powerful voice for democracy.

The story of Galileo, Darwin's theory of evolution, the link between smoking and lung cancer, and most recently the viral etiology of AIDS, are a few well-known examples where science has successfully challenged current dogma. In so doing, it has supported democratic values and saved literally millions of lives. The more connections Canada makes through science, the more it is able to promote democratic values, leading to a more equitable and secure world for all.

Conversely, scientific progress benefits from strong international relations. Consider the many challenges facing our planet. Climate change and the future of the Arctic are not Canadian problems, nor is food and water security an African or Asian problem. They are challenges that require scientific and diplomatic solutions on a global scale.

Research and education have become truly international. A generation ago, research was largely performed by individuals or small teams. Today, international teams of researchers and institutions collaborate to address complex questions. Thousands of researchers and their students from 32 countries, including Canada, were involved in the collaboration that discovered the Higgs Boson. Similarly, the global effort to sequence the human genome involved eight countries, including Canada. The New York-based Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, which I led for four years, brings together major research funders to accelerate the search for a vaccine against HIV. When diplomatic relations are built on top of these informal partnerships, nations have the opportunity to work together on other priorities such as trade and global security.

US example instructive

Our American colleagues have much to teach us about the role that science diplomacy can play. In the 1990s, the US Department of State appreciated that science was central to addressing the global issues of the 21st century and that, in an era characterized more by terrorism than by the Berlin Wall, science diplomacy was an important instrument to increase trust and communication between nations. Accordingly, the post of Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State was created, as have several science fellowships within the State department. President Obama has appointed six science envoys.

Because Canada has invested significantly in higher education and research, we are well positioned to reach out and partner with the world and to contribute substantively to international science diplomacy. We are an open, multicultural, vibrant and diverse society, blessed with some of the world's most liveable, safe cities and impressive research universities. According to the journal Nature, Canada is a close third in a recent global ranking of where scientists would most like to work. In the report The State of Science and Technology in Canada, 2012, the Council of Canadian Academies documents that Canada has a strong, internationally respected research community.

The report International Education: A Key Driver of Canada's Future Prosperity, by the Advisory Panel on Canada's International Education Strategy, highlighted how the two-way exchange of education — exporting Canadian education abroad and importing foreign students — can be important drivers of future prosperity. In a world in which knowledge and the technologies that flow from knowledge have become major economic drivers, government policies can contribute to economic growth by promoting and actively facilitating the internationalization of Canadian education.

Canada's investments in research and education should be regarded as an essential pillar of our diplomatic strategy, becoming an integral part of our effort to make a positive difference in a complex world and to ensure Canada benefits fully from strong ties to other countries. The recent announcement in India is a good example of how Canada can build lasting bridges, through research and knowledge-sharing.

Perhaps the strongest case for defining a new role for Canada in the world is our nation's youth — young Canadians view themselves as citizens of the world, seeking opportunities that match their global aspirations with practical problem-solving. They seek a new role for Canada as a country that forges the global coalitions necessary to address complex and serious challenges. By strengthening Canada's role in the world through international partnerships founded on science, we're crafting a role for Canada in the world that will resonate with young Canadians and young people every where.

Our role in the world should also reinforce and support our domestic priorities. Canada has placed a high priority in recent years on university education and research. That investment can now help define our role in the world, ensuring that people everywhere benefit from the world's store of current scientific knowledge and from future scientific advances. Just as we were the world's peace broker in the 1950s, today we have the opportunity to be the world's knowledge broker, helping to bring the fruits, ethos and values of science to people everywhere.

Dr Alan Bernstein is President of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, former president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and former executive director of the New York City-based Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise. This article is a condensed version of Dr Bernstein's 2012 Holmes Lecture at Glendon College, York University.