Sunak urged to hand EU billions to rejoin scheme as failure to do so will 'cost us dear
Science
Sunak told to hand EU billions to rejoin scheme as Plan B will 'cost us dear
The EU may want Britain to pay for parts of the scheme it never accessed during the two-year delay.
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08:17, Fri, Mar 3, 2023
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08:46, Fri, Mar 3, 2023
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Sunak has been urged to hand the EU billions so Britain can rejoin its crucial research scheme
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Britain and the EU have been urged to strike another agreement as fast as possible so the UK can rejoin the blocs flagship innovation scheme as the Prime Minister mulls over an alternative plan. Rishi Sunaks "decisive breakthrough" on Brexitnegotiations with the EU has opened the door for cooperation on research again.
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The bloc had temporarily banned Britain from accessing its 84billion innovation scheme until the Northern Ireland Protocol dispute was settled. This week, both sides agreed on a new Windsor framework after months of painstaking negotiations.
While European Commission President Usrula von der Leyen hailed the deal as good news for all those who are working in research and sciences, they may have a little more waiting to do.
This is because they could face another delay to rejoining Horizon Europe as the EU may want Britain to pay for parts of the scheme it never accessed during the two-year delay. Britain, before the EU blocked it from Horizon Europe despite its inclusion in the 2020 Trade and Cooperation Agreement, was supposed to contribute 15billion over a seven-year period.
However, senior colleagues have reportedly said Mr Sunak is sceptical about the value of the research programme, the Financial Times reports. He is now reportedly considering a 6billion alternative plan drawn up by Science Minister George Freeman as he weighs up his options.
Chi Onwurah said a further delay would 'cost us dear'
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Science Minisiter Chi Onwurah told Express.co.ukthat further delay and a failure to rejoin will cost us dear.
She said: Sunak and Freeman (the Science Minister) seem to be pedalling back on association and whether they are going to achieve it and that is a concern. It would be a massive failure on their part and cost us dear.
It comes after the delay stopped British researchers from accessing prestigious EU grants to work on projects ranging from AI and Quantium mechanics to climate change research. It also scuppered opportunities to partner up with European scientists. This was particularly damaging as collaboration is deemed crucial for research.
Mr Onwurah said: The massive uncertainty has cost us business investment and damaged our reputation. Particularly the scientists who moved abroad to get their promised funding.
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Freeman draw up a 6billion alternative
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Friday, March 3, 2023 at 8:17 am