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Reports suggest UK prime minister is “sceptical” about joining the EU’s R&D programme
The UK’s R&D sector has reacted with alarm to reports that Rishi Sunak is holding back on rejoining the Horizon Europe R&D programme—after finally agreeing a deal over trade in Northern Ireland with the EU.
According to an article in the Financial Times, sources close to the prime minister say he is “sceptical” about the value of the research programme and would “take stock” of options, including implementing an alternative programme, known as ‘Plan B’.
The reports came after European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said work could begin “immediately” on securing UK association to EU R&D programmes once the new Windsor Framework is implemented.
UK participation in Horizon Europe, as well as the nuclear research initiative Euratom and the Earth-observation programme Copernicus, had been on hold for two years due to a dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol.
Reports of the prime minister’s hesitancy have sparked alarm in the research sector, which has been calling for a speedy association to the programme since the deal was announced earlier this week.
Mike Galsworthy, director of the campaign group Scientists for EU, told Research Professional News: “Rishi Sunak may think it’s a good look to be cautious but it’s actually a terrible look.
“We all remember that it was Sunak, as chancellor, who decided to inexplicably pull the UK out of the Erasmus+ programme, an act of cultural vandalism and short-sightedness,” he said, in reference to the UK government’s decision to pull out of the EU [student] exchange programme.
“This is why his hesitation now on Horizon will have a very alarming effect on the UK science community.”
Richard Jones, a professor of materials physics and innovation policy at the University of Manchester, wrote on social media: “If Sunak’s hesitation about rejoining Horizon is simply a recognition that, two years after the TCA [trade and cooperation agreement], the financial terms need revisiting, fine.
“If it reflects a desire by Treasury to micromanage the R&D budget, and an aversion to stable multi-year budget settlements, very much not fine.”
Unblocking access ‘vital’
Shadow secretary of state for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Lammy, commented on Twitter that Sunak’s reluctance “shows the Conservatives are once again putting the ideology of isolation before the national interest”.
“Unblocking access to the Horizon scheme is vital for UK researchers to compete in the global race to technological innovation,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, said the sector needed a “clear signal from both the UK government and EU that full UK participation in EU programmes remains the priority, so that talks can begin in parallel to Windsor Framework implementation”.
“There will always be issues to navigate, but the progress over the Northern Ireland protocol shows what can be achieved quickly with goodwill and political resolve on both sides,” he added.
Science minister George Freeman said this week that the Horizon association decision is in Sunak’s in-tray, and another government official said that the government would first take stock of the FTA before moving on to details of Horizon association. Freeman said in January that the Plan B is also on the PM’s desk to consider.
A government spokesperson told Research Professional News: “The Windsor Framework delivers for the people and businesses of Northern Ireland. It ensures free-flowing trade in goods within the UK, protects Northern Ireland’s place in our union, and safeguards sovereignty in Northern Ireland.
“We will continue to discuss how we can work constructively with the EU in a range of areas, including future collaboration on research and innovation.”