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Emeritus Fellow and former Master of the College Professor Lord Robert Mair CBE has warned time is running out for science projects which have been left in limbo since the UK left the EU.

Professor Lord Mair, Director of Research for the University's Department of Engineering and Head of Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC), contributed to the debate in the House of Lords on the future of UK participation in Horizon Europe when he made the comments. Horizon Europe is the largest international research and innovation funding programme in the world, with an £81bn pot to be spent over seven years. It allows scientists to collaborate in many areas of research covering a wide range of disciplines.

“My Lords, time is running out. Every university and research organisation in the country will provide examples of projects that are now in limbo. They are not being included in new EU projects because they are seen as a risk."

Before Brexit, the UK had been part of Horizon Europe’s predecessor schemes for many years. As part of the post-Brexit negotiations, The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement was signed on 30 December 2020, setting out preferential arrangements in areas such as trade in goods and services, digital trade, intellectual property, public procurement, aviation and road transport, energy, fisheries, social security coordination, law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, thematic cooperation and participation in EU programmes. This included the possibility for UK universities to continue to be part of Horizon Europe. The agreement, however, has been suspended by the EU while the dispute over The Northern Ireland Protocol continues. George Freeman, the UK science minister, emphasised that, while the UK does not want to walk away from Horizon Europe, Britain is ready to spend the same amount of money on a 'Plan B' package for researchers if the EU continues to delay the UK association with the Programme. 

Lord Mair emphasised the uncertain post-Brexit situation for UK universities and research organisations. He pointed out that many research projects are now in ‘limbo’ and that UK universities and research organisations run the risk of being excluded from participating in new EU projects. In relation to the Government’s ‘Plan B’ and the longer-term alternative arrangements, Lord Mair raised two key questions for Lord Callanan, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS): “How soon will more details, especially for the longer term, be announced?” And “Does the Minister agree that there is an urgency to ending the uncertainty that is so damaging to our universities and research organisations?”

In response to Lord Mair’s questions, Lord Callanan replied: “I agree with the noble Lord. There is a limit to how long this period of limbo can go on. We have provided guarantees to researchers, and we are funding them in the meantime. The time is approaching when we will need to make a final decision on this.”

The questions raised by all the other Peers in the House echoed the general discontent about not knowing for how long this period of uncertainty will go on. The Government position is that the Northern Ireland Protocol is an entirely separate issue from the association of UK to EU programmes, including Horizon Europe. The EU, on the other hand, seems to link the two issues, which perhaps implies that only a positive outcome of the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations will unblock the impasse, barring the possible earlier introduction of a less attractive Plan ‘B’ by the Government.

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