Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (): The Department for Science,
Innovation and Technology is focused on improving people's lives
by maximising the potential of research and development, science
and technology to drive economic growth and wider societal
benefits. It is our ambition to accelerate innovation, investment
and productivity through world-class science, research and
development. In line with this goal, the UK's association to
Horizon Europe, the world's largest internationally collaborative
research programme, empowers UK innovators and scientists to
collaborate with colleagues from across the EU, as well as with
other associated countries.
From 2028, the 10th Research and Innovation Framework
Programme (FP10), will replace Horizon Europe. It will be tasked
with harnessing excellence-based research and development to
support delivery of European security, sustainable prosperity and
competitiveness.
On 26th September, DSIT published a Position Paper
setting out the UK Government's views on the potential shape and
direction of FP10. We have published this Position Paper to
support the work of the EU and Member States in developing an
impactful programme which delivers research and development
across all disciplines of the highest quality to the benefit of
all participants. A copy of the position paper was deposited in
the libraries of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The Government wants to strengthen ties with our European
neighbours and explore areas where we can boost our shared
prosperity and security through mutually beneficial agreements.
This includes ensuring that UK scientists, innovators,
businesses, and institutions can collaborate with partners across
Europe and beyond.
Given current geopolitical realities, we believe now is the time
to address global challenges through collective action. We
believe that through genuine openness, EU Member States, the UK,
and other likeminded countries can pool resources to effectively
tackle priorities which affect us all. This includes using the
power of research to harness emerging technologies and in turn
boost productivity and competitiveness.
Our clear position is for FP10 to be based on openness and
excellence, and to ensure the continuation of proven instruments
within Horizon Europe.
In the paper, we advocate for an FP10 which:
- Maintains excellence at the very core of FP10 to harness the
full potential of Europe's research and innovation capabilities
across the entire research pipeline.
- Enables the equal participation of likeminded associated
countries in all areas of the programme from its very inception,
with barriers removed to ensure collaboration on critical
technologies between like-minded partners. Maintaining the
principle of openness to those who share common goals and values
will support the best research and collaboration to tackle these
shared challenges.
- Preserves the three-pillar architecture in Horizon Europe,
maintaining stable and predictable support for proven elements
within Horizon Europe to continue supporting discovery research,
international collaboration opportunities and applied innovation
respectively. Through a careful balance between curiosity-driven
research and applied research and innovation, FP10 should remain
flexible and responsive to future global challenges.
We very much welcome opportunities for future discussion with
researchers, innovators, businesses, institutions, the European
Commission and EU Member States as FP10 develops given our many
shared priorities.
We will, of course, be interested in potentially associating to
FP10, assuming it is open, relevant, and provides good value for
researchers and taxpayers.
