Small states, knowledge hubs and the Arctic: science diplomacy in the foreign policy of the Nordic states

This paper offers a comparative synthesis of the Nordic section of the recent monograph Science Diplomacy and Foreign Policy in Northern Europe, produced within the NCN OPUS 22 project Science diplomacy in Northern Europe (2021/43/B/HS5/01638). Focusing on Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, it examines how the Nordic states use science diplomacy as an instrument of foreign policy, international positioning, and regional engagement. More specifically, it asks how science, higher education, innovation, and expert knowledge are mobilised as resources of influence by states operating under the constraints and opportunities associated with small-state international behaviour. The paper argues that the Nordic cases reveal a distinctive regional pattern of science diplomacy shaped by four interrelated features: small-state constraints, strong multilateralism, ambitions to act as knowledge hubs, and the growing strategic significance of the Arctic. Across the five cases, science diplomacy appears not as a marginal supplement to foreign policy, but as one of the instruments through which states seek recognition, visibility, and international relevance. Scientific capacity, innovation policy, expert authority, and international research cooperation are used not only for domestic development, but also for status-seeking, agenda-setting, and the projection of external influence. At the same time, the paper highlights important national variations within this shared regional pattern. Denmark combines science diplomacy with technological diplomacy and innovation branding; Finland links it closely to security, resilience, and global problem-solving; Iceland relies strongly on Nordic cooperation and external frameworks; Norway projects itself as a knowledge-based state with pronounced Arctic and sectoral expertise; and Sweden integrates science diplomacy with a broader profile centred on innovation, sustainability, and international engagement. Particular attention is given to the Arctic as a space where science diplomacy becomes especially visible. In the Nordic cases, the Arctic brings together several core functions of science diplomacy at once: the production of expertise, the transfer of knowledge into decision-making, international scientific cooperation, and the pursuit of political presence in a strategically sensitive region. Rather than introducing new empirical material, the paper presents a comparative interpretation of the Nordic part of the monograph and argues that Nordic science diplomacy is best understood as a form of foreign policy adaptation through knowledge.