Introduction

This introductory chapter outlines the conceptual and analytical foundations of the book, which examines the foreign policy and science diplomacy models of ten Northern European states. It argues that science diplomacy cannot be meaningfully understood without reference to the broader foreign policy frameworks from which it emerges. This chapter positions science diplomacy as a distinct dimension of modern diplomacy – operating at the intersection of foreign policy and science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy – and adopts a state-centric analytical lens to distinguish it from broader forms of international scientific cooperation. It explores how national strategies reflect both cooperative and competitive logics, shaped by regional priorities in the European Arctic and Baltic Sea regions, as well as by evolving global challenges such as research security and the instrumentalisation of science. This chapter also introduces the structure of the monograph, which combines historical, normative, and institutional analyses to investigate how each country integrates scientific expertise into its international engagement. Rather than offering direct comparisons, it provides the basis for understanding the diversity of approaches within a shared regional and geopolitical environment.