Work Package 6 aims at evaluating and promoting cultural and science diplomacy practices with a view to enhancing the EU's global influence and standing in the field of cultural, science and innovation diplomacy. Its specific objectives are:

1. To translate research analyses into policy recommendations.

2. To recommend a wide range of activities to enhance the EU’s diplomatic impact.

3. To be coherent with the most relevant EU policies in the fields and period covered by this project.

4. To envision the creation of a European Centre for Cultural and Science Diplomacy.

WP6 lays the ground for the set-up of a Centre for European Diplomacy that will serve as a one-stop shop for the description and analysis of European Science. The AAAS Centre for Science Diplomacy, founded in 2008, is guided by a desire to use science "to build bridges between countries and promote scientific cooperation as an essential element of foreign policy by raising the profile of science diplomacy" (AAAS). It fulfils a prominent focussing, showcasing and energising role in the support of American science diplomacy.

Europe as yet (as opposed to several national academies) has no such equivalent centre or institution that focuses on the diplomatic activities and possibilities of either science or cultural diplomacy. Such a centre will surely be needed later if not sooner. As of now, some of the functions conducted by the AAAS CSD on behalf of American science could profitably be introduced in Europe. There is for example no consolidated, classified catalogue of projects on science diplomacy in Europe. 

This project provides an opportunity to give momentum to such an institute or centre. The work undertaken and material produced in the various WPs constitute the beginnings of a consolidated Data Warehouse on Science and Cultural Diplomacy that will be rich in qualitative and quantitative data on the nature and practice of science and cultural diplomacy in Europe.

This WP lays foundations for the centre in four ways:

1. It systematises the data generated by the various WPs and creates as comprehensive as possible a database, cataloguing and classifying science diplomacy.

2. It also monitors, analyses and reports on other H2020 projects to assess the perceptions of the senior scientists as to the degree to which they do in fact have a conception of the role that their projects might play in the enhancement of the EU’s global influence and standing.

3. It monitors and analyses the role of social media and digital cultural and scientific diplomacy,concentrating on analysing social media at four levels: individuals/citizens, political institutions, businesses organisations and non-governmental organisations.

4. It gives thought as to how a centre for diplomacy might be funded in the longer-term. This entails developing a proposal, gathering support from relevant stakeholders and securing funding for its development.

The WP6 work is undertaken by the VUB.