Biophysical Society Bulletin | March 2021

Public Affairs

Continued from page 7

Around theWorld Brexit Deal Offers Light at the End of the Tunnel for Science Researchers in the United Kingdom expressed a collective sigh of relief to the last-minute 2020 trade deal with the European Union (EU) ending more than four years of uncer- tainty over what their relationship after Brexit would look like. While the deal has wide-ranging impacts for scientists, the most important allows UK researchers to take part in Eu- rope’s €85-billion (US$106-billion) flagship research program, Horizon Europe. The agreement will also shape data regula- tions, student exchange, nuclear science, space research, and clinical trials. The trade deal means that the United Kingdom became an associate member of Horizon Europe, which formally start- ed in January, and which will begin issuing its first grants in March or April. This means UK-based researchers will be able to take part in the program in the same way as their EU colleagues, such as the European Research Council and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program. However, UK researchers

and firms will be excluded from Horizon Europe’s new Euro- pean Innovation Council Fund, which is designed to support start-up and university spin-off firms. The UK will pay into Horizon Europe a sum that is proportional to its gross domestic product, and this cash will boost the program’s overall budget, although the figure has yet to be announced. If, for two consecutive years, the country takes out more than it puts into the program, by an amount that exceeds eight percent of its contribution, it will have to reim- burse the EU to cover the difference. An agreement defining the fine details of the association must now be made, and UK researchers will not be able to participate in the program until this happens. A committee of UK and EU representatives will discuss and approve the terms of association. UK participation and funding from Horizon 2020, which pre- ceded Horizon Europe, fell significantly after the Brexit vote in 2016, despite UK scientists remaining eligible on the same terms as their EU colleagues. A challenge for the coming years will be to look at how much the United Kingdom has missed out and work on how to build back influence after years of uncertainty.

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March 2021

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