The United Kingdom has recently revealed its contingency plan in case of failed negotiations to join Horizon Europe, the European Union’s flagship research and innovation program. The plan outlines the steps that the UK government will take to ensure that UK researchers and innovators can continue to participate in international collaborations and access funding for their projects.
Horizon Europe is a seven-year program that will run from 2021 to 2027, with a budget of €95.5 billion. It aims to support research and innovation across a wide range of areas, including health, energy, digital technologies, and climate change. The UK has been a major contributor to previous EU research programs, and many UK researchers and institutions have benefited from EU funding.
However, the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe has been uncertain since the country left the EU on January 31, 2020. The UK government has expressed its desire to associate with the program as a third country, but negotiations have been complicated by issues such as the role of the European Court of Justice and the UK’s access to sensitive security information.
In light of these challenges, the UK government has developed a contingency plan to ensure that UK researchers and innovators can continue to participate in international collaborations and access funding for their projects. The plan includes several key elements:
1. A new UK research funding agency: The government has announced plans to establish a new research funding agency, which will be modeled on the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The agency will have a budget of £800 million ($1 billion) per year and will focus on high-risk, high-reward research projects.
2. Bilateral agreements with other countries: The UK government will seek to establish bilateral agreements with other countries to facilitate research collaborations and access to funding. The government has already signed agreements with Canada and Australia, and is in discussions with other countries such as Japan and South Korea.
3. Continued participation in EU programs: The UK government has committed to continuing its participation in some EU research programs, such as the European Space Agency and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.
4. Domestic funding for Horizon Europe projects: The UK government has pledged to provide domestic funding for UK researchers and institutions that are unable to access Horizon Europe funding.
Overall, the UK’s contingency plan is designed to ensure that UK researchers and innovators can continue to participate in international collaborations and access funding for their projects, even if the country is unable to associate with Horizon Europe. While the plan may not fully replicate the benefits of EU membership, it represents a significant effort by the UK government to support research and innovation in the country.
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