The recent announcement that the UK is joining the EU’s flagship science research programme, Horizon Europe and the associated Copernicus programme from 1 January 2024, has been largely welcomed by the UK’s scientific community. Since leaving the predecessor programme, Horizon 2020, as a result of Brexit, UK scientists and scientific institutions have lost out not just on valuable funding opportunities but also on opportunities for scientific collaboration across Europe.
Horizon Europe is a €96billion programme that is built around three main pillars – excellent science; global challenges and industrial competitiveness and; innovative Europe. The programme funds research projects tackling crucial issues including climate change, cancer, oceans and water, carbon-neutral cities and soil health.
The UK’s re-entry into Horizon Europe was agreed as part of the post-Brexit trade deal in 2020, but it was never ratified due to a dispute between the EU and the UK over the Northern Ireland protocol. The UK also wanted to renegotiate the financial terms of its association, seeking a rebate if it failed to receive a fair share of grants from the programme.
According to Downing Street, the UK will pay about £2.6bn on average a year to Horizon Europe and Copernicus, the EU’s Earth observation satellite programme. The UK’s contributions will start from January 2024, “giving British researchers time to apply for grants and projects with certainty”. The EU said that the UK would also receive rebates if its participation in the programme was lower than expected.
However, despite the good news some experts have warned that there are still challenges ahead for UK science after Brexit, such as attracting and retaining talent, ensuring regulatory alignment, and participating in other EU programmes such as Erasmus+ and Euratom.
If would like to discuss this further, please contact one of our Technology team.
