Title: The Impact of the UK’s Delay in Rejoining the EU’s Horizon Europe Funding Scheme on Scientific Research
The UK’s decision to delay rejoining the Horizon Europe funding scheme, the largest and richest program for scientific research globally, is causing significant damage to scientific research in the country. As a former full member of the Horizon program, the UK benefited from more funding than it contributed. However, with Brexit, the UK must now negotiate to become an associate member, meaning it only receives some of the benefits of full membership.
Ongoing negotiations between the EU and UK regarding associate membership have garnered support from the scientific community. However, the protracted delay in this process is creating uncertainty and harming UK science and research. Research, by its nature, is long-term and requires collaboration. With the UK’s position unclear, international partners are hesitant to invite UK researchers to collaborate on projects, concerned about future eligibility and additional bureaucratic hurdles.
This uncertainty is already leading to a decline in opportunities for UK-based researchers to collaborate with their EU counterparts. For instance, the University of East Anglia has seen a 63% reduction in its participation in collaborative Horizon proposals since 2016, accompanied by a 69% decrease in funding over the same period.
Collaboration across borders is crucial for generating world-class research. Groundbreaking research is often conducted by international teams, benefiting from multiple perspectives, complementary expertise, and diverse problem-solving approaches. To tackle complex global challenges like climate change, food security, infectious diseases, and more, international responses that achieve greater scale and impact are necessary.
Moreover, Horizon Europe offers a unified regulatory structure for all participants, reducing administrative bureaucracy and complexity. Dislocation from this framework introduces additional layers of administrative burden not only for UK universities but also for their current and future collaborators across Europe.
The UK’s position as a leading player in EU science and research is gradually eroding, despite the government’s vision of becoming a science superpower. Historically, UK universities held globally significant positions, but in recent years, they have led fewer international research projects. Since 2021, the UK has been barred from leading collaborative Horizon projects, causing its international research activities to become smaller and more selective.
To mitigate the potential consequences of being excluded from Horizon Europe, the UK government has unveiled their Pioneer program, a domestic research and innovation funding scheme worth £14.6 billion. However, this program falls short of the opportunities and global networks offered by full UK association with Horizon Europe. Countries like New Zealand, Canada, and Japan have either joined or are in discussions to join Horizon Europe, expanding its geographic scope.
While Horizon Europe does have some drawbacks, such as high levels of oversubscription and low success rates for research proposals, it remains the largest and most successful research framework program available to UK scientists. Previous EU framework programs have facilitated high-quality pan-European collaborations, with the UK being a top five collaboration partner for each of the other 27 EU member states under Horizon 2020.
To limit the damage caused by the current delay of more than two and a half years, the UK’s priority should be to achieve full association with Horizon Europe as soon as possible. This will preserve cooperation with international research partners and ensure the UK remains at the forefront of scientific research and innovation.
Overall, the delay in rejoining Horizon Europe is detrimental to UK science and research. The uncertainty surrounding the UK’s involvement is deterring international collaboration and diminishing the country’s influence in EU science and research initiatives. Swift action is needed to minimize the impact and safeguard the future of scientific research in the UK.
