Horizon’s research deal with the European Union awaits Sunak’s signature

[ad_1]

Pallab Ghosh Science Correspondent Jul 6, 2023 01:26 GMT

Updated 10 minutes ago

photo caption,

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said talks on Horizon will start immediately once the Windsor Agreement is implemented (file photo)

BBC News understands that the UK’s €100 billion (£85 billion) partnership deal with Horizon research and innovation has been negotiated.

The proposed arrangement awaits the Prime Minister’s approval.

If Rishi Sunak agrees, an announcement is expected on Tuesday after his talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The government’s official position is that talks are still ongoing and no agreement has been reached.

But high-level sources have now told BBC News that a sticking point has been resolved over the amount of research funding the UK is expected to receive and that two separate options for associate membership are awaiting the Prime Minister’s consideration.

Mr Sunak is said to be enthusiastic about a UK-led international collaborative research programme, put in place by the Minister for Science, George Freeman. But the UK research community has argued consistently and unanimously for membership in the European Horizon programme.

If Sunak rejects the options on his desk, the wrath of the scientific establishment will be “unimaginable,” according to a high-ranking science leader.

If events go as expected, the deal will come as a huge relief to the scientific community. Many of the UK’s leading researchers have been left in limbo about the future of their world-leading research projects and in some cases their jobs and those of their teams.

Image source, Getty Images

photo caption,

Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse: ‘The prime minister must finalize the deal without further delay’

Associate membership was agreed as part of the Withdrawal Agreement when the UK formally left the EU at the end of January 2020. But the arrangement was not triggered due to a row over the Northern Ireland protocol. This issue was resolved in February of this year, and it was hoped that the Horizon deal would follow quickly.

The EU waived the UK’s accession fee at the time it was not a member, but has stuck to the arrangement agreed with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government over the funding the UK is expected to receive.

The government agreed that if British researchers received less than 12% of what the UK had put in, Britain could terminate the arrangement. The figure for other affiliated members of Horizon is 8%, but it was thought to be a price worth paying for continuing to be part of the program by the government at the time.

Talks since the Windsor Agreement have largely focused on renegotiating this figure to be more in line with other associate members. It is understood that two formulas have now been agreed between the UK and the EU, which await the Prime Minister’s signature.

The standoff has confused UK researchers because the pre-Brexit UK received about £500m over £1.5bn a year. , the research community believes that it will receive at least the same amount. Many feel that months have been wasted haggling over a hypothetical point.

News that a draft agreement had been reached was reported on Wednesday afternoon by Politico, but was met with a terse statement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Talks are ongoing and so we have not yet agreed on an agreement.”

Image source, Getty Images

photo caption,

The UK has some of the best scientists in the world. Some have moved to an EU institution due to uncertainty about the horizon

The statement went on to say that the report does not “reflect the current state of negotiations”, and that “UK participation in EU programs must be fair to UK researchers, businesses and taxpayers, and we have put our bold and ambitious alternative, Pioneer, if we cannot secure engagement on That’s the basis.”

James Wilsdon, professor of science policy at University College London, told BBC News that the uncertainty of the past three years had “bedeviled” science cooperation between the UK and the EU, even though it was “wonderful news”.

In haggling over the budget, the UK was in danger of being prudent on pennies but sterling foolish – focusing on the short-term costs over the huge long-term gains that would flow from UK participation.

“We hope that a compromise has now been found and the research community can move forward with the clarity and commitment it has been calling for.”

“Delays of more than two years have caused serious and lasting damage to UK research and development,” said Professor Lord Krebs, the long serving and respected scientific adviser to the government at the University of Oxford.

Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse said the prime minister should complete the deal “without further delay”, a view echoed by Professor Sarah Mayne, executive director of the Science and Engineering Campaign.

“I urge the Prime Minister and the President of the European Commission to secure this agreement, enabling researchers to take forward the vital role they play in improving people’s lives and livelihoods,” she said.

Universities UK chief executive Vivian Stern also urged the prime minister to close the deal, saying there were too many people in Europe whose “finger and toe are crossing the line.”

Among the benefits of joining the scheme, she said, are greater opportunities for research collaborations, as well as access to larger grants to UK universities.

The UK is also seeking to join the Copernicus Earth Observation Programme.

[ad_2]