Science Diplomacy Initiatives and Trust Building in Regional Innovation Forums

Abstract

This paper investigates the causal relationship between science diplomacy initiatives and trust building within regional innovation forums. As geopolitical competition increasingly fragments global research and development networks, regional innovation forums serve as critical platforms for maintaining international scientific dialogue and cooperation. However, the specific institutional designs of science diplomacy that effectively cultivate trust among diverse stakeholders remain insufficiently understood. To address this gap, we conduct a randomized survey experiment among five hundred participants recruited from prominent regional innovation forums, including policy makers, scientists, and technology entrepreneurs. Using a multi-dimensional conceptualization of trust, we examine how variations in funding mechanisms, data-sharing protocols, and governance structures affect both cognitive and affective trust. Our empirical results indicate that science diplomacy initiatives characterized by joint funding mechanisms and open-science protocols yield the most pronounced positive effects on cognitive trust. Conversely, affective trust is primarily fostered by symmetrical governance structures that guarantee equal representation of all participating nations. We also identify significant heterogeneous treatment effects based on respondents' prior levels of nationalist sentiment and pre-existing political tensions between their home countries and partner nations. These findings offer important policy insights for designing resilient regional innovation frameworks that leverage scientific collaboration to mitigate geopolitical divisions.