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At least 18 ERC grantees to leave UK amid Horizon uncertainty

    

Only 20 of around 150 recent UK-based winners of ERC grants committed to stay

At least 18 UK-based European Research Council grantees are moving their projects abroad, with just 20 so far committing to stay—as association to Horizon Europe looks increasingly unlikely.

Ongoing political disputes over the Northern Ireland protocol have held up UK association to the European Union’s €95.5 billion (£80.5bn) R&D programme, meaning UK-based researchers are ineligible to receive any funding they win.

The UK government has promised to cover any lost funding, but with the networks and prestige that come with the ERC brand at risk, several grantees have already made decisions to move their projects abroad.

According to the most recent ERC data obtained by Research Professional News, three requests to move grants from the UK to an institution in an EU or an associated country have already been signed off.

A further 15 requests to move are currently being processed, with commitment letters of new host institutions outside of the UK received by the ERC.

Meanwhile, seven grant preparations have been terminated, with a further 13 terminations ongoing, the ERC said, meaning 20 have so far committed to stay in the UK and opt for alternative funding.

Just over 100 of around 150 grantees based in the UK have not yet made a formal decision.

If they do not inform the ERC of their decision by the 29 June deadline, their grant preparations will be automatically terminated.

In the meantime, the ERC grants now becoming available again as a result of UK winners dropping out will go to researchers elsewhere. The ERC is already informing relevant winners on an ongoing basis as UK preparations are terminated.