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. This plenary session examines how science and technology diplomacy must evolve in a multipolar global landscape marked by shifting power balances, rapid technological change, and diverse development pathways.  

• How can regions balance collaboration with competition in a fast-evolving race for gaining supremacy in disruptive technologies, including quantum, AGI, synthetic biology, and broad augmented human capabilities? 
• ⁠As countries seek to protect critical technologies and supply chains while relying on shared research and international collaboration, how does the growing tension between technology security and co-development shape policy choices and R&D partnerships, and what role can science and technology diplomacy play in bridging this divide? 
• How does the expanding role of non-state actors—particularly large multinational technology corporations—in shaping technological trajectories, standards-setting, trade rules, and access to critical platforms, data, and digital infrastructure affect national policy choices and global governance? 
• How do persistent asymmetries in technological capabilities risk long-term dependency and exclusion from high-value global technology ecosystems, and what pathways can enable countries to adapt technologies to their contexts while strengthening equitable participation in global technology governance? 

Scene Setter: Jemma King, Research Fellow at the University of Queensland School of Psychology, New Zealand  

Speakers: 

Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, India  

Peter Gluckman, President, International Science Council, New Zealand  

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