The UK has an established reputation of contributing heavily to European scientific research, with the region just recently winning 66 of the 269 European Research Council (ERC) awards. The next European initiative for scientific research will be the Framework Program 9 (FP9), which will have an estimated budget of £80–£100 billion ($113.5–$141.9 billion) over a seven-year period. However, although the UK can be a part of the initiative as an “associated country” such as Switzerland, Norway or Israel, the UK may not be able to participate in FP9. This is because the UK would have to invest a larger amount to be a part of FP9 post-Brexit than it does currently.

The UK Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee has called for an agreement on science and research that would positively affect future negotiations with the EU. The deal on research is as important to national security issues, according to the Members of Parliament in the Committee, and is set to conclude by October this year.

The Brexit vote made the UK a less desirable place for researchers from EU member states due to perceptions of hostility towards foreigners and immigrants that contributed to a large decline in fellowship applications from the rest of Europe. However, Britain’s economy had its strongest 6 months in over 10 years, according to recent economic reports, leaving the future of the region’s collaborative projects with EU countries unclear.

Source: Financial Times