UK to rejoin Europe’s Horizon science program

Britain is to rejoin the Horizon Europe science research program under a new bespoke deal, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office and the EU said on Thursday.

Horizon is a European Union scheme that funds research projects which the UK says it has been excluded from for the past three years, following Brexit.

“As part of the new deal negotiated over the last six months, the Prime Minister has secured improved financial terms of association to Horizon Europe that are right for the UK,” a statement said.

The deal follows a call between Sunak and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.

“The EU and UK are key strategic partners and allies, and today’s agreement proves that point. We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research,” von der Leyen said in a statement.

The deal means that UK researchers can apply immediately for grants and bid to take part in projects under the Horizon program, the UK government statement said.

“Horizon will give UK companies and research institutions unrivaled opportunities to lead global work to develop new technologies and research projects, in areas from health to AI,” it added.

Under the new accord, however, the UK will not be involved with the Euratom nuclear regulator, but instead “take forward its own fusion energy strategy”, Downing Street added.

The UK scientific community welcomed the announcement.

“This is a great day for researchers in the UK and across Europe,” said a joint statement by the Academy of Medical Sciences, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society.

Obstacles

“The Horizon program is a beacon of international collaboration and UK-based academic and industrial researchers will now be back at the heart of that,” they added.

Cancer Research UK chief Michelle Mitchell said EU and UK should “work with urgency to rebuild the strong position the UK occupied in the Horizon program”.

“There will be relief throughout the research community that the uncertainty of the last two-and-a-half years has come to an end,” she added.

Britain previously said it had been excluded from the EU’s flagship Horizon Europe program that funds research, nuclear regulator Euratom and the Copernicus satellite monitoring group.

London said it considered the delay to be a breach of the post-Brexit deal.

Just over a year ago, it launched dispute procedures with the EU over the exclusion, using a mechanism set out in a post-Brexit deal.

The British government said that its inability to participate in science and technology programs was causing “serious damage” both in the UK and EU countries.

The EU responded by saying there were “serious difficulties” since the post-Brexit trading accord did not oblige the EU to make the UK an associate on such programs.

However, welcoming, the resolution of the issue, Universities UK president Sally Mapstone said the scientific community was grateful to the government and the EU for their “perseverance”.

“The entire research community, within our universities and beyond, will be delighted at the news that an agreement has been reached. Overcoming the obstacles to association was no small feat,” she said.

© 2023 AFP