Minister moves to calm science community’s fears
1 Jul 2016 by Evoluted New Media
Scientists have been reassured by the Minister for Universities and Science that they will not be affected by the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
Scientists have been reassured by the Minister for Universities and Science that they will not be affected by the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
Just over half of the UK’s population voted to leave the EU by a majority of almost 1.3m. This has left many scientists deeply concerned, as science research in the UK is a large financial beneficiary of the EU. Between 2007-2013, €5.4bn was given to the EU by the UK for research and development, with the UK receiving €8.8bn in return. At the Parliamentary Links Day event, held on the 28th June at the Royal Society of Biology in London, Jo Johnson, Universities and Science Minister, sought to calm fears.Johnson said: “In legal terms, nothing has changed overnight. We remain in the European Research Area. European Research funding will continue to flow during this period. EU students who are already here, or are applying to start courses in the autumn, will have student finance in place for the full duration of their courses.” He also reiterated the Government’s commitment to £6.9bn in capital investment until 2021.
For the UK to continue to receive EU research funding, once it leaves, it is widely thought this will mean an agreement to the free movement of people. There are 15 other non-EU countries that currently negotiate access to Horizon 2020 — the EU’s framework for Research and Innovation — but this is dependent on the free movement of people. Previously, Switzerland was not allowed full access to Horizon 2020 after a referendum in which they voted to restrict immigration.
More than half of the UK’s £21bn of pharmaceutical exports is to the EU. It has also secured 15.4% of the EU’s Horizon 2020 funding so far. In addition, £1.6bn of the EU Structural and Investment Funds — a different funding stream— has been allocated from 2014-2020 for research and innovation projects to the UK.
Lee Upcraft, from Scientists for Britain, who campaigned to leave the EU, said: “As part of our input to Government, scientists, as a community need to become more vocal, more active and more assertive in promoting the benefits of science to the UK economy. If we have become reliant on EU funding, we need to explain to government how to address this.”
However, Mike Galsworthy, from the campaign group Scientists for EU said: “Little can be done at the moment to prevent hiring or investment disruptions that may be occurring across academia and industry, other than to monitor it all as best we can. Ultimately our relationship with the EU science programme and EU science policy will involve complex negotiations around freedom of movement and financial contributions."
Nicola Blackwood MP, chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee, called upon the “best of our resilience and collective wisdom” to ensure the UK remains a science superpower.
She said: “We have to shout loudly to ensure the interests of the British science community are at the front and centre of the debate and is not lost in the wider noise around immigration, sovereignty and trade. Science and innovation must be represented not only in the cabinet but also in any new party leadership.”Full statements on the EU referendum decision from key organisations can be seen below:
Campaign for Science and EngineeringUnited Kingdom Accreditation Service
