Scotland wants science deal to be prioritised in Brexit talks

Securing access to the European Union’s R&D programmes should be a UK government priority in the Brexit negotiations, the Scottish science minister has said.

Members of the Scottish, Welsh and UK governments met on the morning of 22 October to discuss the UK’s approach to negotiating a future relationship with the EU in areas of research, education and culture.  

In a statement published ahead of the meeting, Scotland’s higher education and science minister Richard Lochhead said Scotland must have certainty about access to EU research programmes after Brexit. Research organisations and R&D companies based in Scotland have so far won €533 million from the current scheme, Horizon 2020, he said.