Promoting International Scientific Cooperation: the Role of Scientific Societies

Abstract

Scientific collaboration yields many advantages, especially in fields that require interdisciplinary approaches, as it fosters the sharing of knowledge and resources and is essential for the implementation of complex projects. The concept of scientific internationalism emerged around the 1900s, emphasizing that science surpasses national boundaries and promotes global peace and collaboration. International scientific cooperation is halted by geopolitical tensions and conflicts, such as World War II and the Cold War. Nevertheless, many examples show that scientific collaboration can surpass conflicts and bring scientific and society development, such as in the cases of the Tick-borne Encephalitis vaccine, the Apollo-Soyuz test project and more recently the international endeavour for COVID-19 vaccine development. In this contest, UN and WHO have an imporant role to promote peace and scientific cooperation, examplified by the 16th Sustainable Development Goal, to “Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies”.

Keywords

• bioethics
• scientific collaboration
• scientific societies
• ebtna