In its capacity as co-chair of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance, the CEI contributed to organising the workshop “Exploring the Nexus between Big Science and Science Diplomacy: An Open Debate on Existing Initiatives, Key Actors and Potential Synergies”, held in Prague on 9 April 2026.
Hosted at ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure), the workshop was co-organised with PERIIA (Pan-European Research Infrastructure ILO Association), with the support of ENEA, Technology Centre Prague, and the University of Zurich/CHEF.
It brought together around 40 participants, both onsite and online, who, despite their diverse backgrounds and expertise, engaged in dynamic discussions on the connections and synergies between Big Science and science diplomacy - two emerging domains that lie at the intersection of international relations, scientific cooperation, industry, research, and higher education.
The CEI’s involvement in Big Science dates back to its active support for the latest edition of the Big Science Business Forum, held in Trieste in 2024. On that occasion, a dedicated “roadshow” was developed and implemented to present the concept of Big Science and its economic opportunities to the scientific communities and economic ecosystems of CEI Member States.
The Prague workshop not only facilitated a first structured exchange between the Big Science and science diplomacy communities, which are still only partially overlapping, but also highlighted the role of Research Infrastructures (RIs) as natural bridges between these two fields.
RIs are central to the Big Science ecosystem and are becoming increasingly important actors in complex international relations, making them strategic partners for organisations such as the CEI.
This debate will continue in the framework of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance, as well as on the occasion of important events such as the upcoming Big Science Business Forum 2026 (Maastricht, 27-30 October 2026) and the International Conference on Research Infrastructures (Rome, 2-4 December 2026).
For more information: lombardo@cei.int