Continued collaboration in science and innovation is an
important part of the UK’s future partnership with the EU. This
is the message the UK Government is expected to set out in a new
paper published tomorrow.
The paper on science and innovation will lay out a range of
mechanisms and areas for future collaboration that the UK will
seek to discuss with the EU as part of the negotiations on the
future partnership.
It will also consider areas where there are precedents for
countries outside the EU to participate in pan-European
programmes such as Galileo and Copernicus.
The UK space sector is worth over £11.8 billion to the UK
economy, and employs at least 37,000 people around the country.
Our work in the European Space Agency has put Tim Peake in space
and is enabling us to explore Mars.
The paper will also lay out projects on nuclear research
including:
-
the Oxfordshire-based JET (Joint European Torus) which
is funded by the Euratom
Research and Training programme and supports
1,300 jobs in the UK, 600 of which are highly skilled
scientists and engineers; and
-
ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)
which has generated over £450m worth of contracts so far for
UK business
The UK will also continue to collaborate with European
partners through international organisations that are not part of
the EU for example the EUREKA network that helps SMEs collaborate
on R&D across borders and CERN, the European platform for
particle physics and the fundamental laws of nature of which the
UK was a founding member.
Other initiatives where the UK will seek to explore options
for future collaboration include the European Medicines Agency
and EU framework programmes. The current programme, Horizon 2020,
has over 7,300 UK participants so far and has seen many successes
through collaboration, including through the Innovative Medicines
Initiative and:
-
Through the HYFIVE project the UK together with other
EU and international partners has taken hydrogen fuel cell
vehicles to market, moving Europe towards a competitive
low-carbon economy and providing cleaner air to all
-
The UK has worked with other EU and international
partners to train young researchers to exploit big data
through the LONGPOP project
-
Through the PAL project the UK has collaborated to
build robots that interact with children to help manage their
diabetes.
Secretary of State said:
“As the Prime Minister set out in her Lancaster House
speech, a global Britain must be a country that looks to the
future. That means being one of the best places in the word for
science and innovation.
“This paper sends a clear message to the research and
innovation community that we value their work and we feel it is
crucial that we maintain collaboration with our European partners
after we exit.
“We want to attract the brightest minds to the UK to build
on the already great work being done across the country to ensure
that our future is bright and we grow this important
sector.”
Science Minister said:
“From space exploration and developing better and safer
medicines, to nuclear fusion research, the UK and Europe have a
long history of close collaboration to meet the world’s great
challenges. It’s in our mutual benefit to maintain this
successful partnership, and this paper clearly outlines our
desire to have a full and open discussion with the EU to shape
our joint future.
“With science and innovation at the heart of our Industrial
Strategy and our additional investment of £4.7 billion for
research and development, we are ensuring we are best placed to
continue being at the forefront of new discoveries, and look
forward to continuing that journey with the best minds across
Europe.”
The UK is a world leader in science and innovation and the
paper also states that we want to continue to be a hub for
international talent and sets out that it is vital we ensure
research communities can continue to access the high level skills
that support the science and innovation sector. It will say that
the UK will seek to agree a system for continued recognition of
professional qualifications, and will continue to welcome the
brightest and best after we exit.
The paper makes clear that the Government is committed to
maintaining the UK’s status as a world leader in science and
innovation and strengthening its science and research base, which
already includes four of the world's top ten universities, a
world class intellectual property regime and more Nobel Laureates
than any country outside the United States.
