The New Science Diplomacy: Sir Peter Gluckman, Raisina Dialogue

Historically, the global scientific community operated on the implied agreement of “borderless science”, where knowledge flowed freely to advance collective human progress.

Today, that consensus is being depleted under the weight of a new geopolitical reality. As the lines between technological prowess and national security blur, the collaborative frameworks of the 20th century are being tested by the competitive dynamics of the 21st.

Sir Peter Gluckman, Director and Managing Trustee of Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures and President of the International Science Council, has appeared as part of a plenary session discussing this topic at The Raisina Dialogue, India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics. 

This plenary session (entitled ‘The New Science Diplomacy: Collaboration in the Age of Competition’) examined how science and technology diplomacy must evolve in a multipolar global landscape marked by shifting power balances, rapid technological change, and diverse development pathways. You can watch the session below:

The Raisina Dialogue has been held annually in New Delhi since 2016. Sir Peter Gluckman and Hema Shridar, Koi Tū’s Deputy Director attended the 2026 edition.

Organised by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, this three-day event convenes global leaders, policymakers, academics, industry experts, and journalists to discuss critical international issues.

‘The New Science Diplomacy: Collaboration in the Age of Competition’ speakers:

Speakers:

• Sir Peter Gluckman, Director and Managing Trustee of Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures and President of the International Science Council, New Zealand
• Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, India
• Macharia Kamau, Chairperson, UN Secretary General’s Advisory Group on Peace Building; Member of the Global Commission on Science Missions for Sustainability of the ISC; Former Principal Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya
• Marilyne Andersen, Director General, Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator, Switzerland
• Kiana Aran, Associate Professor of Bioengineering and Medicine at the University of California San Diego, United States of America

Moderator:

• Magdalena Skipper, Editor, Nature, United Kingdom