The participation of Swiss and British universities in EU research funding programmes: diplomacy for science or science for diplomacy?

European funding programmes are usually seen as a platform international research cooperation. This paper examines which role the participation of third countries in EU research funding programmes plays in the EU’s science diplomacy (SD). It is based on the analysis of documents from national and EU organizations, conducting semi-structured expert interviews with representatives of universities, as well as officials from national and EU institutions, and social network analysis of transnational university networks. The paper shows that the participation of Swiss and British universities in EU framework programmes play an important role in SD at the EU level. According to the Communication of the European Commission on a European strategy for universities (2022) universities in Europe are seen as the essential actors in SD, which should strengthen the EU’s reputation globally as a cooperation partner for education, research and innovation. To implement this strategy for external connectedness, the EU needs to be open to extra-EU partners, including Switzerland, a former Horizon 2020 Associated Country, and the UK, a former EU member, considering their scientific achievements and the high level of internationalization of education and research. The UK and Switzerland also represent interesting cases of SD due to their particular relations with the EU, which despite the high performance of these countries in Horizon 2020 connects their association with Horizon Europe with their wider bilateral relations. Building on the analysis of the negotiation processes on the association status to Horizon Europe of Switzerland and the UK, as well as campaigns launched by the European university networks asking the EU leadership to prioritize science over political interests, this paper argues that participation of Swiss and British universities in EU research funding programmes can be seen not only as an example of diplomacy for science, but also of science for diplomacy.