Biophysical Society Bulletin | February 2021

Public Affairs

The ability of the United Kingdom to punch above its weight both within and without the EU is also down to its attractive- ness to talented scientists from many nations. Until recently, around 20 percent of the UK scientific workforce originated from other EU nations, its citizens being able to work in any member nation of their choosing. Now, a points-based visa scheme has been introduced that will allow scientists from the EU to work here, but at a cost that may be off-putting to those considering a move. Again, UK science will almost inevitably suffer. Many EU scientists first came to the UK as part of the Eras- mus Programe (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students), an EU student exchange programme established in 1987. And, of course, this programme provided many UK scientists with a precious opportunity to study elsewhere in the EU. The UK will not continue to participate in Erasmus and will be replacing it with a new scheme named after the mathematician Alan Turing. The Turing Scheme (£100 million in 2021–2022) will provide funding for about 35,000 UK students to undertake place- ments around the world from September 2021. It will not,

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So, what are Brexit and “the deal” likely to mean for UK sci- ence in general, and biophysics in particular? EU membership gave the UK access to significant research funds, chief among them was the Horizon Europe programme (worth €81 billion) for which the next round of funding runs 2021–2027. The deal negotiated with the EU honours grants awarded before Brexit and thankfully, like several other non-EU nations, the United Kingdom will participate as an associated country in all parts of the Horizon programme. In order to do this, we will be required to make an as yet undisclosed (undecided?) finan- cial contribution to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. Historically, UK science has been a net beneficiary of EU funding, so on purely economic grounds maintaining a stake in the Horizon programme is probably a no-brainer. And this will be a huge relief to many in UK science who, in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote, witnessed the exclu- sion of UK scientists from EU grant applications. But it will not repair the damage done by the four-plus years of uncertainty during the transition and is unlikely to restore UK science to its dominance among EU nations.

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