Relief for the British and European scientific communities: those who were so afraid of the ‘no deal’ scenario, will finally be able to continue their close collaboration.
The agreement concluded on 24 December between the EU and the United Kingdom offers the British the possibility of joining all parts of the Horizon Europe framework-programme (see EUROPE 12621/10), with the exception of the European Innovation Council (EIC) accelerator.
They will therefore remain eligible for almost all European funding, also synonymous with prestige and a gateway to a vast network.
For Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, acting president of the European Research Council (ERC), the situation is not one of “departure”, since “things will be able to continue fundamentally as they were before”, he welcomed during an interview with EUROPE.
More bitterly, Christian Ehler MEP (EPP, Germany) - who has been in charge of negotiating the last three framework programmes for the European Parliament - felt that the simple choice of the British to withdraw from the “related and equally important programme” Erasmus+ (see other news) constituted a rupture, harming European scientific cooperation.
Prepayment
The main change for the United Kingdom will be financial: since it will no longer contribute to the European budget, the country will participate in the financing of Horizon Europe by means of grants, to the extent of the European subsidies that will be allocated to researchers on its soil. Given the impossibility of anticipating the number of projects selected and financed over a year, this contribution will be governed by a prepayment and correction mechanism.
Referring to the quality of the research work carried out by scientists based across the Channel, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon expects that a significant percentage of European funding will continue to be directed to the UK, notably via the ERC.
In the last 3 years, the country has been the second largest recipient of grants from this institution, after Germany and far ahead of most other nations.
Loss of influence
As members of the anti-Brexit group, Scientists for EU, pointed out on Twitter and in the British press, in addition to their participation via the common budget, the British will also have to put a cross over the “sovereignty” and “influence” that their status as a Member State gives them.
They will, in theory, no longer have a say in the direction of European research policy.
In theory, because, for the ERC President, “what matters in these discussions is the reality of things. And the reality is that the UK is a big country, by size, by financial volume, by the quality of what happens there. I find it hard to imagine that other countries will ignore the remarks that will be made by the British”.
Association Agreement
The next step for London will therefore be the negotiation of its association agreement with Horizon Europe.
As early as 24 December last year, the President of the Royal Society, Adrian Smith, called on the British government to take swift action. “Any delay in delivering such association will damage UK science”, he had said in a press release at that time.
On this point, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon said he was quite optimistic, suggesting that the “latest indications” on the subject were very positive. It is imperative, he insisted, “that scientists established in the United Kingdom should be able to apply from the start of the first calls for projects”.
For Christian Ehler, on the other hand, a shadow remains over this association agreement. “The Trade and Cooperation Agreement would deny the Parliament a final say on the terms of the UK's association”, he told EUROPE, describing this provision as unacceptable.
“As Parliament, we need to have a say on the association of the UK to Horizon Europe when all the details of that association are clear”, insisted the MEP, setting “a condition for us to give our approval to the trade and cooperation agreement”. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)