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A policy paper published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) provides an overview of the UK’s long-term Horizon Europe alternative.
Dr Daniel Rathbone, CaSE Assistant Director, said:
“A new Prime Minister provides an opportunity for a reset in EU relations. Finalising association to Horizon Europe – a win-win for Europe and the UK – would be a great first step. CaSE strongly urges the Conservative leadership candidates to commit to finding a resolution that allows the UK to associate and we welcome the statement today that association is still the Government’s preferred choice.
“In the unhappy event that the UK is unable to associate we welcome the Government bringing forward plans to protect and stabilise the UK research sector, including third country participation in Horizon Europe. However, there is not much detail yet on what the long term options are – the Government most now engage as widely as possible with the research and innovation sector as it works on the details of a longer-term alternative.”
Prof Bart De Strooper, Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, said:
“The ongoing uncertainty regarding Horizon Europe has been damaging to the UK’s R&D sector. Our researchers, who are racing to find cures for neurodegenerative diseases, will be relieved to finally have further information on what an alternative may look like.
“However, full association to Horizon must remain the priority. Dementia is a global problem – growing at an alarming rate – and we will only meet this formidable challenge with a global response. Cross-border collaboration is utterly fundamental to this effort.
“The UK Dementia Research Institute is an international community with thriving links to neuroscientists all over the world. We were proud to come together with our European partners last week to call on the European Commission to confirm the UK’s full association to Horizon without delay, to allow our scientists to continue this vital work. Anything less is a disservice to the millions of people living with dementia, their carers and their loved ones.”
Nicola Perrin, CEO of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), said:
“It is disappointing that the UK has not yet secured association, but new detail on transition arrangements and a longer-term plan is welcome.
“International collaborations are crucial for charities, with charity-funded researchers partnering with teams in 108 countries.
“We hope that rapid resolution, and the Government’s commitment to funding, will provide the stability that researchers need to build and sustain partnerships crucial to deliver benefits to patients.
“Medical research charities are ready to help in delivery to ensure the transition plan is speedy and meets the needs of the research community.”
Sir Jim McDonald FREng, President, Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“The strong preference of the Academy and the wider global research and innovation community is for the UK to associate with Horizon Europe. It will be most regrettable if that association becomes impossible for reasons that have nothing to do with research and innovation.
“Delays in confirming association mean that the government is wise to develop alternative plans for UK research and innovation investment. We have been working with government, UKRI and sister National Academies on potential Horizon alternatives for many years, planning for several different scenarios to improve resilience at critical points.
“Today’s publication makes that planning more visible to the community. We welcome that progress and hope that government will release further plans and engage the community with them as uncertainty over association continues. We also hope that government will confirm its financial investment in these plans, although we understand that there are limits on decisions that can be made until a new Prime Minister and their Ministers are in place.
“In the event of non-association, UK-based researchers and innovators will no longer be able to benefit from some Horizon Europe mechanisms such as the European Research Council, European Innovation Council and other so-called mono-beneficiary schemes. As a precaution against this outcome, we, with our sister National Academies, UKRI and BEIS, have prepared a package of measures to support talented researchers and innovators during this initial period of transition and are designing a bold and ambitious longer-term plan.
“In the near term, those plans would involve scaling up our Research Fellowships and Chairs in Emerging Technology awards. In the longer term we would work with our sister National Academies to launch new awards as part of the new flagship fellowships talent offer. If they are needed, we are committed to delivering these programmes in ways that will reinforce the UK as an exceptional location for highly talented researchers and innovators, and that will provide significant resources and unique freedom for them to realise their visions.
“Obviously, non-association would mean significant changes and disappointment for the UK and European communities. Whatever the final outcome, we hope that UK and European researchers and innovators will continue to collaborate through all the mechanisms that will be available to them.”
Prof Liam Smeeth, Director, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said:
“While the clarity and commitments mapped out are certainly welcome, full association with European funding programmes must remain the priority aim. Without this, the UK will continue to be a somewhat untrusted partner in future European collaborations, damaging many years of effective work that have helped ensure UK science is truly world leading.”
Sir Adrian Smith PRS, President, Royal Society, said:
“Today’s announcement provides some much-needed short-term reassurance. Protecting and stabilising UK science is clearly a Government priority, but transition arrangements, no matter how robust, are only a stopgap. It is reassuring that longer term alternatives, should they be needed, are also being developed.
“We have always been very clear that association to Horizon Europe is the best outcome for science in the UK and Europe. The Government’s continued commitment to Horizon, as well as association to Euratom and Copernicus, is incredibly important. Now is the time for all parties to find a resolution to the impasse on scientific collaboration.
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to sharing and consulting with the science community on alternative plans. Should it be necessary, a new collaborative research programme must be clear, credible, and costed. The community will need to see full detail on how Government will invest the £2 billion a year in UK R&D if we do not associate.
“Decades of scientific collaboration have brought economic, health and cultural benefits to people right across Europe, these must be preserved. Today’s publication reaffirms the Government’s commitment to its manifesto pledges to invest in science and maintain the UK’s world leading position in research and innovation. We look forward to the ongoing support of the UK’s next Prime Minister.”
Prof Dame Anne Johnson PMedSci, President, Academy of Medical Sciences, said:
“The Academy of Medical Sciences believes that association to Horizon Europe is the best outcome for UK and European science. The ongoing delays to finalising association have created an uncertainty that has left researchers in limbo, harming their ability to carry out work that will benefit the lives of patients.
“Considering this uncertainty, it is therefore the responsible thing to also develop a credible alternative plan. Today’s announcement goes some way to addressing the short-term gap in collaboration and funding opportunities that would be left if we fail to associate, but questions remain. We are pleased to see it includes some proposals that the sector have been calling for, including the guarantee for in-flight applications as well as a range of measures to support both talent and international collaboration.
“The government has committed to funding these alternative measures from some of the £6.9 billion that was set aside for association. In the longer-term, they must recommit to using the entirety of this promised money for research, to avoid undermining the UK’s science superpower ambitions.
“Today’s announcement is a first step, but we will need more information on how the overall package will fit together, the scale of investment across all elements of the package, and how these transitional measures will lead into any long-term Horizon Europe alternative.
“International collaborations are essential for research, and what is good for research is good for the health of people everywhere. It is positive to see a commitment to the UK participating in Horizon Europe as a Third Country. This provides a way of protecting the precious international networks that are vital for research, however the UK government must not add additional bureaucracy if we are to remain an attractive research partner.
“As an independent organisation, the Academy of Medical Sciences has considered it our responsibility to work alongside other UK National Academies and UK Research and Innovation to ensure these proposals support the health research sector to deliver good health for everyone. That is why, if these measures are required, we aim to increase the number of awards we are able to offer through our innovative grant schemes, including our Springboard awards, Professorship Awards, and Clinician Scientist Fellowships. We will also continue to work collaboratively to support the development of the long-term talent offer and flagship Fellowships.
“Until the door is well and truly closed, we will keep pushing for association to Horizon Europe. We urge the Government to continue to do all that it can to achieve association, whilst preparing to implement the measures outlined today and providing the detail that will be required to guarantee their success.”
Professor Julia Black, President, British Academy, said:
“The British Academy welcomes the publication by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy of plans to support the UK research community in the short-term amid the continuing uncertainty over the UK’s association to Horizon Europe. It remains the Academy’s utmost priority that the UK associates to Horizon Europe. However, it is now necessary for the Government to put in place measures to continue to support the UK research community during this period of uncertainty.
“As part of these transitional measures, the Academy may be allocated funding which enables us to support additional awards from some of our existing research schemes. These include our Newton International Fellowships, Postdoctoral Fellowships and Mid-Career Fellowships. As more information is confirmed, the Academy will provide more detail on our website and through our ebulletins on what this would likely include.
“We welcome the Government’s continued commitment to put the £6.9 billion set aside for association towards any Plan B. It is critical that this full amount is used for any alternatives if we are not able to associate. We are pleased to see that there will be no gap between the guarantee and the proposed in-flight assessment process, and that there is a vital commitment to extend the guarantee and to support third country participation in full if we do not associate.
“Researchers in the SHAPE (social science, humanities and arts) disciplines have been highly successful in securing prestigious European Research Council grants and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. It is therefore essential that, in the event of non-association, any alternatives are designed to maintain the longstanding disciplinary split of funding or else this will threaten to undermine areas of UK research excellence.”
Declared interests
The nature of this story means everyone quoted above could be perceived to have a stake in it. As such, our policy is not to ask for interests to be declared – instead, they are implicit in each person’s affiliation.