Switzerland made anticipatory science diplomacy priority in its foreign policy: Swiss official

NEW DELHI, Mar 6 : Science and technology have become a “core currency” in international affairs, influencing sovereignty and security on a global scale, prompting Switzerland to make anticipatory science diplomacy a priority in its foreign policy, a top Swiss official said on Friday.
At an event hosted by the Swiss Embassy here, Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, also said, “Our collaboration with India reflects a shared vision between two global innovation leaders, combining cutting-edge excellence with India’s unparalleled ability to scale innovation for millions.”
The embassy hosted an ‘Anticipatory Leadership Lab’ in collaboration with the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) and the office of the principal scientific advisor to the government of India.
The Lab brought together around 60 leaders from the fields of science, governance, diplomacy, business and civil society in a structured, multistakeholder dialogue to strengthen their collective capacity to anticipate and govern emerging scientific and technological breakthroughs, officials said.
GESDA’s engagement with Delhi builds on a series of exchanges with Indian counterparts over the past years, including interactions during the 2024 and 2025 GESDA summits, an official statement said.
The GESDA Science Breakthrough Radar – an annual report that maps the research advances expected to transform society and the planet over the next 5, 10 and 25 years – was also discussed at the event.
The New Delhi engagement is part of a growing long-term partnership between the GESDA and India to deepen collaboration around the Science Breakthrough Radar and anchor anticipatory science diplomacy capacities locally, the statement said.
Fasel said, “For the Swiss government, anticipating and understanding scientific breakthroughs is no longer a luxury, but a diplomatic necessity.”
“Science and technology have become a ‘core currency’ in international affairs, influencing prosperity, sovereignty and security on a global scale,” the statement quoted Fasel as saying.
Switzerland has, therefore, made anticipatory science diplomacy “a priority in our foreign policy”, he said.
“Our collaboration with India reflects a shared vision between two global innovation leaders, combining cutting-edge excellence with India’s unparalleled ability to scale innovation for millions,” he added.
At the event, the participants collaborated to explore how frontier technologies could impact India and the world across various timeframes, identify opportunities and risks for public policy, diplomacy and industry, and suggest actionable steps for cooperation, the statement said.
It underlined that India has played a “pioneering role” as a member of the advisory committee of the Open Quantum Institute – GESDA’s anticipatory governance initiative designed to address the societal implications of quantum technologies before they reach full maturity and widespread deployment.
Recent discussions led to engagements in New Delhi in March 2025, including bilateral meetings with the office of the principal scientific advisor and participation in initiatives such as the Raisina Young Fellows Forum and the newly-created Raisina Science Diplomacy Initiative (SDI), announced a day ago.
These exchanges also explored opportunities to develop a longer-term partnership with Indian counterparts, including the potential co-design of an India-anchored Anticipatory Leadership Week (ALW) in 2026, alongside continued dialogue and tailored activities connecting the GESDA Radar insights with Indian institutions and national priorities, the statement said.
A K Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the government of India, said the disruptive frontiers will define the next quarter-century, and that quantum computing, artificial general intelligence, synthetic biology, and neurotechnology are not distant abstractions.
Marilyne Andersen, Director-General of GESDA, said, “Anticipatory science diplomacy enables us to harness fast-moving scientific breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity before they deepen global fractures and inequalities.”
It grounds decision-making in rigorous science, allowing to keep the conversation to remain open and preserved from competition, pressures or quick fixes, she said.
“It opens an essential window to carefully account for all implications and involve policymakers, diplomats, scientists, innovators and citizens across geographies, socio-economic realities and cultural contexts around the table,” Andersen said. (PTI)

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