Creation of a Chair in Scientific Diplomacy for Arctic and Space Cooperation

This Chair, entitled "Global Hub for Scientific Diplomacy for Arctic and Space Cooperation: Technodiplomacy for a Resilient Future in Extreme Environments," is the result of a collaboration between Polytechnique Montréal and Université Paris-Saclay, with the financial support of the Île-de-France Space Academy, the Science Diplomacy Center (Boston, USA), and the United Nations University.

Pooneh Maghoul, full professor in the Department of Civil, Geological, and Mining Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal, will serve as the scientific director and principal chairholder. She will be supported by three co-chairholders. At Université Paris-Saclay, the project is led by Philippe Achilleas, professor of public law at the Jean Monnet Faculty (Law, Economics, Management) of Université Paris-Saclay, director of the Institute of Space and Technology Law (IDEST - Univ. Paris-Saclay), and head of the Master’s programme in Law of Aerospace Activities and Digital Technologies. Paul Arthur Berkman, founder of the Science Diplomacy Center (USA), and Miriam Aczel, researcher at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH, Canada), complete the leadership team.

A Programme Dedicated to Extreme and Sensitive Environments

With a programme unique in the world, the Chair aims to strengthen scientific and diplomatic cooperation in three key areas:

• the northern circumpolar regions;
• outer space;
• celestial bodies.

By exploring the parallels between the Arctic and outer space - two environments characterised by shared environmental, technological, and geopolitical challenges - the Chair will develop an innovative approach to “techno-diplomacy”, based on the values of peace, scientific cooperation, and sustainable governance.

Four Structuring Objectives

The Chair is built on an ambitious framework centred around four main objectives:

• to establish a scientific and diplomatic platform dedicated to cooperation in extreme environments;
• to train a new generation of global leaders and techno-diplomats;
• to inform and strengthen emerging legal, political, and technological frameworks;
• to amplify the voices of Indigenous communities and marginalised actors in international decision-making processes.

Innovative Programmes Serving Science, Societies, and the Planet

The Chair brings together several major initiatives:

• the Lab-to-Policy (L2P) programme: a flagship programme enabling students, researchers, professionals, and young Indigenous leaders to transform scientific findings into governance tools, public policies, protocols, or decision-making guides;
• an annual international Summer School - “Next-Generation Techno-Diplomats”;
• scholarships and fellowships in scientific diplomacy;
• a research programme co-developed with Indigenous communities;
• an annual Arctic–Space Techno-Diplomacy Forum.

Strengthened Commitment of Université Paris-Saclay and the Île-de-France Space Academy to Space Science and Policy

By participating in this world-first initiative, Université Paris-Saclay reaffirms its central role in space sciences and international scientific diplomacy. This continues a dynamic established nearly 25 years ago: being the first French university to support the emergence of space law, a discipline in which it is now a recognised leader.

The Île-de-France Space Academy, co-funder of the project for France, played a decisive role in designing and structuring the programme. The Chair is also supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ). Polytechnique Montréal and several international partners contribute to its funding.