Covid-19 and Brexit make boosting network of attachés crucial, say Chris Tyler and Jean-Christophe Mauduit
The science and innovation network is a little-known but crucial arm of the UK’s science diplomacy strategy. Its staff, the SIN officers—affectionately known as sinners—are science attachés scattered around the world who represent the UK’s international interests in science and innovation.
There are roughly 100 sinners worldwide; the UK needs more. A strong domestic research and innovation system is crucial for economic growth and geopolitical influence. But these days, domestic systems do not operate in isolation. That applies to competition for talent, investment and influence, and to collaboration on solving global problems, such as Covid-19.
Brexit is also having an impact. UK participation in the European Union’s Horizon Europe R&D programme is on the negotiating table, but despite positive noises there is no guarantee that the UK will become an associate member. Missing out would damage the entire ecosystem, from basic research to R&D, startups and small businesses.
For the UK to remain a global leader post-pandemic and post-Brexit it needs to reinforce and expand its science diplomacy to advance its national needs, address its cross-border interests and help meet global challenges. There are three main elements to this effort.
First is diplomacy for science: using diplomacy to facilitate funding and collaborative opportunities for industry and academia. Second is science for diplomacy: using science to advance the foreign policy agenda and improve diplomatic relations. Third is science in diplomacy: using science to inform and support foreign policy.
The science and innovation network focuses primarily on diplomacy for science. Its officers connect domestic science, technology and innovation to the rest of the world, to the benefit of the UK’s research system and economy. They focus on four objectives: prosperity, security, influence and development.
On prosperity, the network supports innovative UK industries; works to attract talent, companies and direct investment; fosters academic collaborations on strategic issues and consolidates bilateral or multilateral international scientific agreements.
Science attachés help businesses expand markets and gain access to funding. In 2015, for example, events related to robotics in California, led by the US arm of the network, resulted in nearly £9 million in business for UK companies. In 2016, its Indian counterpart brokered a £10m R&D partnership on food processing technologies.
On security, in 2019 the network in Japan fostered a memorandum of understanding on preparedness for health emergencies. SIN Singapore helped foster stronger university collaborations with the UK and such joint research recently led to Covid-19 guidelines for medical practitioners around the world.
On influence, attachés negotiate and implement crucial agreements on science and technology, such as the 2017 deal with the United States that led to collaborations around issues such as AI, energy storage and space exploration. All these areas have gained strategic importance post-Brexit.
On development, Adrian Smith and Graeme Reid showed in their report published last November that the fastest growth in UK scientific collaboration is with the world beyond the United States, Europe and China, including emerging economies in Asia and South America.
Growing bilateral research collaborations, joint funding pots and creating opportunities for UK startups and small companies with a wider range of countries around the world is therefore increasingly important to the UK.
If the UK is to weather Brexit and maintain its global standing, the status quo is not an option. The government needs to pay close attention to international engagement in science, technology and innovation.
Two steps are needed. First, continue growing the science and innovation network. Second, and most important, define a strategy for its use.
Growing the network means more people on the ground in priority areas and increasing their funding so they can have more impact. On the strategic side, clear key performance indicators and targets for return on investment should be defined, monitored and evaluated. A range of complementary strategies for where attachés should be and what they should do need to be considered.
Government should not be making these decisions single-handed—efforts to craft a strategy and monitor its impact should be evidence-based and led in tandem with researchers in UK universities and think tanks.
More and more strategic sinners will help pave the way to a more global Britain.
Chris Tyler is director of research and policy and Jean-Christophe Mauduit is a lecturer in science diplomacy in the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, University College London
This article also appeared in Research Fortnight