Universiteit Leiden

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KNAW grant for public communication on diplomacy

Jan Melissen, associate professor at ISGA and editor-in-chief of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, and his team have been awarded 10,000 euros from the 'Valued' fund. This pilot fund, implemented by the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) aims to increase the interaction between science and society and has rewarded a total of eleven Leiden teams of scientists.

Jan Melissen

Congratulations on the recognition, what are you going to use the grant for?

Melissen: The contribution from the KNAW is an opportunity to better publicise the work of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, not only internationally within our field, but also among local stakeholders and professionals. Of course we also want to improve what we have started, so the attention paid by the university's board to science communication is certainly a boost.’

In what way does The Hague Diplomacy Platform contribute to science communication?

Melissen: ‘The Hague Journal of Diplomacy is an academic journal and we will continue to work on it as a top priority, but we want more. The electronic environment of the Platform encourages authors and others to talk about a theme - diplomacy - that we want to make more accessible. As far as I am concerned, call it non-academic or public communication. Many professionals who would not consider reading an academic article respond enthusiastically to our podcasts, blogs, online seminars and social media. It is a continuous conversation in which we 'pick up' and translate knowledge worldwide. You need good diplomacy for a better world - my Generation Z students know that very well - but in order for the penny to drop in a wider circle, you have to make it understandable.’

What do you think of the establishment of this pilot fund?

Melissen: ‘It is a great idea of the KNAW to encourage universities to share their ideas and findings with a wider audience, outside the walls of the university. That enhances the prestige of an academic world that is at the heart of society. It is also simply a matter of doing more justice to solid knowledge obtained through hard work and getting more out of it. Nerds who are insensitive to this are becoming an increasingly rare species.’

More information on the fund can be found here.

The Hague Journal of Diplomacy (HJD) is the world’s leading research journal for the study of diplomacy and was founded in 2005. The journal is published by Brill. The journal publishes on the theory, practice, processes and outcomes of diplomacy in both its traditional forms, as well as contemporary diplomatic expressions practiced by states and non-state entities. Each issue aims at a balance between theoretical and empirical studies. Diplomatic studies is an inter-disciplinary field. A central aim of HJD is to present work from a variety of intellectual traditions and the journal is receptive to a wide array of methodologies.

The Hague Journal of Diplomacy
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