UK to rejoin EU Horizon programme through ‘bespoke new agreement’
The UK will rejoin the European Union’s flagship Horizon science programme after two years of absence post-Brexit, the government has confirmed.
Number 10 said the move would happen “through a bespoke new agreement with the EU”.
A spokesperson added Prime Minister Rishi Sunak secured “improved financial terms of association that are right for the UK and protect the taxpayer”.
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Mr Sunak said: “We have worked with our EU partners to make sure that this is right deal for the UK, unlocking unparalleled research opportunities, and also the right deal for British taxpayers.”
Scientists called the announcement “tremendous news”.
Horizon is a collaboration involving Europe’s leading research institutes and technology companies which sees EU member states contribute funds that are then allocated to individuals or organisations on merit.
The UK was negotiating a deal to remain in the €95.5bn programme, but talks stalled over Brexit-related disagreements such as Northern Ireland.
In the two years since the UK was removed, Downing Street has stepped in to match EU grant money lost.
However, scientists warned that UK researchers have been missing out on collaboration with colleagues in Europe.
Professor Paul Stewart, from the Academy of Medical Sciences said the return “marks a pivotal moment for UK science”.
“After a hiatus, the scientific community is celebrating the tremendous news that we are once more part of the EU’s flagship funding programme,” he said.
“Health research is an international endeavour, it relies on supporting the best ideas, but also on creating cross-border networks which is good news for the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.
“Association sends a very strong message that the UK is open for business and remains a prime destination to work on health research and innovation to improve lives.”
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The government said UK researchers can apply for grants and bid to take part in projects under the Horizon programme from today.
As well as Horizon the UK will join the EU’s space programme, Copernicus, but it will not take part in the bloc’s nuclear technology scheme, Euratom.
Deal ‘not mission creep back into EU’
The breakthrough comes after months of talks between London and Brussels.
It had been hoped that a British return to Horizon would follow in the wake of the Windsor Framework deal, agreed in February and designed to address concerns over post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland.
Whitehall sources said in July a draft deal was with the prime minister – but Downing Street said a UK-based alternative known as Pioneer also remained an option because Mr Sunak was concerned about “value for money”.
Michelle Donelan, the secretary of state for science, denied the move was “mission creep back into the EU”.
She told Sky News: “This is fantastic news, not just for British scientists and researchers but also the British taxpayer.
“What we’re announcing today is a great deal, a deal that many said we won’t be able to get.”
Under the terms of the deal, the UK will not need to pay into the scheme for the two years it was absent with costs under the programme beginning again in January 2024.
The government also pointed to the inclusion of a so-called “clawback” mechanism, which will mean that the UK will be compensated if British scientists receive significantly less money than the UK puts into the programme.
Ms Donelan said the deal also includes an overperformance indicator, which means the UK won’t be penalised for overperforming “so we can really back our British scientists to achieve”.
Newly-appointed shadow science secretary Peter Kyle told broadcasters that ministers now need to “get on with it”.
“What we’re missing out on is two years’ worth of innovation,” the Labour MP said.
“Two years of global companies looking around the world for where to base their research centres and choosing other countries than Britain, because we are not part of Horizon… This is two years of wasted opportunity for us as a country.”
Harriet Harman has suggested a “mini inquiry” into issues raised by the grooming gangs scandal and called on Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch to discuss “terms of reference”.
The Labour peer told Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast that there should “openness” to a future probe as long it does not repeat the previous investigations.
In particular, she said people need to be “trained and confident” that they can take on matters “which are in particular communities” without being accused of being racist.
“I think that whether it’s a task force, whether it’s more action plans, whether it’s a a mini inquiry on this, this is something that we need to develop resilience in,” Ms Harman said.
The grooming gangs scandal is back in the spotlight after Elon Musk hit out at the Labour government for rejecting a new national inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham, saying this should be done at a local level instead.
The Tories also previously said an Oldham inquiry should be done locally and in 2015 commissioned a seven-year national inquiry into child sex abuse, led by Professor Alexis Jay, which looked at grooming gangs.
However, they didn’t implement any of its recommendations while in office – and Sir Keir has vowed to do so instead of launching a fresh investigation into the subject.
Ms Harman said she agreed with ministers that there is “no point” in a rerun of the £200m Jay Review, which came on top of a number of locally-led inquiries.
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However, she said there’s “always got to be an openness to further analysis, further consideration of what proposals would move things forward”.
She called on the Conservative Party to start “sensibly discussing with the government what should be the parameters of a future inquiry”, as they “can’t really be arguing they want an absolute repeat of the seven years and £200 million of the Jay inquiry”.
She said the Tories should set out their “terms of reference”, so “the government and everybody can discuss whether or not they’ve already got that sorted”.
Girls as young as 11 were groomed and raped across a number of towns in England – including Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford – over a decade ago in a national scandal that was exposed in 2013.
In many cases the victims were white and the perpetrators of south Asian descent – with the local inquiry into Telford finding that exploitation was ignored because of unease about race.
The Jay review did not assess whether ethnicity was a factor in grooming gangs due to poor data, and recommended the compilation of a national core data base on child sex abuse which records the ethnicity of the victim and alleged perpetrator.
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Ms Harman’s comments come after the Labour Metro Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said he believed there was a case for a new “limited national inquiry”.
He told the BBC that a defeated Tory vote on the matter was “opportunism”, but a new probe could “compel people to give evidence who then may have charges to answer and be held to account”.
Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister who has born the brunt of Mr Musk’s attacks, has told Sky News “nothing is off the table” when it comes to a new inquiry – but she will “listen to victims” and not the world’s richest man.
Sir Keir has said he spoke to victims this week and they do not want another inquiry as it would delay the implementations of the Jay review – though his spokesman later indicated one could take place if those affected call for it.
Tory leader Ms Badenoch has argued that the public will start to “worry about a cover-up” if the prime minister resists calls for a national inquiry, and said no one has yet “joined up the dots” on grooming.
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