SCIENCE DIPLOMACY AS A TOOL FOR PROMOTING THE INTERESTS OF CZECHIA IN AFRICA

The article examines the specifics of science diplomacy, a relatively new area of Czech foreign policy, with an emphasis on its application to sub-Saharan African countries. It is emphasized that EU member states have begun to use science and education more actively to advance their own interests amidst the desire to give the supranational union a geopolitical character. It is revealed that the African continent, being an arena for clashing interests of key global players, has also found itself in the optics of Prague, which, without significant resources, sought to use the previously accumulated potential to advance the EU course. It is noted that Czech-African relations have a long history and were characterized by high intensity during the times of socialist Czechoslovakia. The institutional structure of Czech science diplomacy at the present stage is analyzed, and the main actors involved in this activity are identified. Its main instruments on the Black Continent have been studied – concluding official agreements with local partners, involving national businesses in promoting Czech science, advertising Czech higher education, and conducting scientific diplomacy through official development assistance. It has been concluded that, given significant material and personnel constraints, the Czechs are relying on targeted, financially unburdensome projects that have long-term potential.