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The Government has bolstered its commitment to provide
additional science funding in a no deal Brexit
scenario
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This pledge ensures proposals with Nobel-prize
winning potential will not be lost after Brexit
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Commitment is crucial to maintaining the UK’s
world-leading position in innovation and research after
the UK leaves the EU
World-leading research in the UK will be protected following
Brexit, as the UK Government pledges additional support
for researchers and businesses.
The Prime Minister and Science Minister
have reassured the research
community that the Government will provide additional
funding for scientists and researchers who have sought EU funding
before we leave, to ensure brilliant research and innovation will
still be funded. Funding will be available to support UK
research proposals to Horizon 2020, the EU’s funding programme
for research and innovation. This commitment will protect UK bids
to European Research Council,Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
and SME instrument programmes if the Commission stops
evaluating them in a no deal Brexit.
This is part of the Government’s commitment
to raise investment in research
and development and maintain the UK’s position as a
science superpower in a post-Brexit world.
The Prime Minister also announced yesterday that the
Government will develop a fast track visa route for scientists,
so that the UK continues to attract international talent in
science and research from around the world.
Science and Innovation Minister said:
“While it remains our ambition to secure a deal with the EU, we
also need to be ready to leave without one. Today’s pledge means
that researchers and innovators can submit proposals to Horizon
2020 with confidence, right up to 31 October, knowing that the
best proposals will be funded – regardless of how we leave the
EU.
“The UK’s science and research system is one of the very best in
the world. But great ideas know no borders, and science is a
global endeavour. That’s why we are also creating a fast-track
visa route to attract the best and brightest researchers to the
UK.”
UK Research and Innovation will assess bids to the
programmes if they are not evaluated by the EU – making
sure ideas from the UK's brightest researchers
and innovators won’t go to waste. The
commitment will provide welcome reassurance to UK businesses
and researchers applying for prestigious grant
programmes that support research from some of the
science
community’s most creative thinkers. Successful
applications will have grants funded for the lifetime of their
grant proposals.
The UK will remain eligible to participate in other Horizon 2020
schemes as a third country and successful bids will be funded by
the government’s existing guarantee and
extension.
Today the Government has also announced a £60 million
boost for worldwide research collaborations
tackling climate change, infectious diseases and adopting
artificial intelligence in society.
Notes to editors:
- The Government, and
its delivery partner UKRI will make further announcements about
how to apply for this new funding in due course.
2. If we leave the EU without
a deal in place, the UK will become a third country participant
in Horizon 2020. Organisations from third countries can
participate in a wide range of collaborative H2020 grants.
However, the prestigious H2020 ‘mono-beneficiary’ schemes are not
fully open to third countries, including some key parts of
these programmes;
o European Research Council
(ERC): Highly prestigious grants which enable the
best researchers to undertake ground-breaking frontier
research.
o Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Actions (MSCA): Grants for individual fellowships, staff
exchanges, and research training networks. Aimed at researchers
at the beginning of their careers.
o Small-and-Medium Sized Enterprise
Instrument (SMEi):
High-intensity grants for SMEs. These grants support
market-creating innovations.
- The Government has
already guaranteed funding for successful applications
to EU schemes in the event of a no deal. But we will be
making sure that top researchers and the most innovative SMEs
around the UK continue to have access to funding by:
o Ensuring that any applications which the
Commission does not assess after the UK leaves the EU can be
assessed – and successful applications will be funded
