Royal Society calls for £2bn a year commitment on Horizon Europe

Venki Ramakrishnan urges politicians to make ‘immediate financial commitment’ to associate with EU research programme

The government must commit to association with the European Union’s next research framework programme, Horizon Europe, or face “major disruption” to the UK’s science capability, the president of the Royal Society has warned.

In a letter addressed to chancellor Rishi Sunak and the minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove, Venki Ramakrishnan said failing to associate with the EU’s €95 billion funding stream would be a “serious error of judgement that would do harm to UK science, our economy and ultimately the public”.