June 7, 2018

expert reaction to horizon europe proposal

Experts react to Horizon Europe proposal.

Prof Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, said:

“The EU framework programmes offer an opportunity for collaborative science that is unrivalled in scale and impact and the closer the scientific cooperation between the EU and the UK, the more we all benefit.

“In deciding to leave the EU, the UK gave up its right to be part of Horizon Europe, but today’s EU proposals leave the door open for a full and close association.

“There is much to be negotiated but given the Prime Minister’s recent commitment to paying our way and the research community’s desire to continue the significant contribution UK experts have always provided, alongside their European counterparts, to the delivery of European research programmes, I am hopeful of a positive outcome.”

Prof Sir Robert Lechler PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences said:

“The EU Commission’s draft regulations outline great ambitions for the next EU research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe. A commitment to make Horizon Europe ‘Open to the World’ will build on the success of this multilateral partnership, something that EU Framework Programmes have been uniquely successful at fostering.

“I am delighted to see proposals to increase the budget for the programme and that the draft terms will enable third countries, which the UK will become post Brexit, to fully participate in the programme. Achieving this will be highly beneficial for the UK and the EU and I remain optimistic and hopeful that this can be realised.

“It is now down to the negotiation process and the UK Government to achieve its commitment to fully associate with EU science programmes.”

Prof John Hardy FMedSci, Professor of Neuroscience, UCL, said:

“These EU funding processes, while bureaucratic, are key in medical research because they drive the large collaborations needed to solve problems such as dementia. Previously UK scientists have participated in and led a disproportionately large number of them. The uncertainty over Brexit will undoubtedly hurt our involvement in this round and certainly will jeopardise our leadership role.”

Ed Whiting, Director of Policy, Wellcome, said:

“It’s great to see the Horizon Europe proposal set out a clear path for the UK to continue to play a full part in European science. This opens the door for both sides to come together and agree a deal on the other important issues that must be resolved as part of the Brexit negotiations, including regulatory cooperation and the movement of scientists between countries. As Wellcome has argued, continued collaboration is vital for Europe if we are to tackle the great challenges of our time, from climate change to antimicrobial resistance.”

*http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4041_en.htm

All our previous output on this subject can be seen at this weblink: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/tag/funding/

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