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Europe Focus: UKs rupture hits the scientific research and British and EU scientists separated forcibly. Scientific community should not take lightly

When Britain left the European Union at the end of January 2020, researchers was reassured that this did not mean leaving the EU research program, Horizon Europe. Under the terms of the EU exit from the United Kingdom, the country will continue to pay € 95.5-billion (US $ 100.6-billion) in funding and researchers will continue to receive grants (including prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grants), lead projects and hold participate in programs such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Center in France. Scientists have issued a major moan. Although the majority was strongly opposed to Brexit, access meant that long-term research relationships would continue and could not be formed new.

But much has changed since then. Relations between UK and EU policymakers are strained, with researchers trapped inside. Those who were awarded the ERC and other grants are now expected to lose them. The main reason is the British government’s decision to violate some of the terms of the divorce agreement that you carefully negotiated with the EU. The UK government has introduced a draft law in its parliament aimed at amending trade deals between Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) and the independent Republic of Ireland (a member of the EU). It does this collectively, rather than using a formal dispute resolution system. The move sparked EU legal action against the United Kingdom for violating international law.

Despite all of this, the EU has suspended research cooperation. UK recipients of EU grants have been told they will need to relocate to an EU facility if they want guaranteed access to funds. Some prepare for it by reluctantly doing so. EU legal action is likely to make any future UK access to Horizon Europe more difficult. The legal case will probably take several years to run its course, and Horizon Europe has a deadline: it ends in 2027.

Research leaders in the EU and the United Kingdom have opposed a high-profile campaign called ‘Stick to Science’, urging politicians to stay away from politics in science. But, without a change of heart at the last minute, the scientific relationship that lasted for fifty years looks set to end. And if that happens again, it could be a turning point in the history of European science. Over the years, researchers on continental Europe have consistently enriched UK science – and vice versa. Surprisingly, the relationship between the UK government and the national scientists is one of their lowest points in recent memory. Researchers are irritated by the uncertainty and lack of detailed communication about the future, and are concerned about the inconsistency of the government’s financial thinking.

UK Science Minister George Freeman, a businessman and biotechnologist, is preparing a global fund for the preservation of UK researchers indirectly called Plan B. Last week, Freeman told a parliamentary inquiry that the government would publish a ‘prospectus’ of the fund before then. Members of Parliament go on their summer vacation on July 21st. He added that the fund would include international relations with UK researchers and additional funding for risky, highly rewarding science similar to that sponsored by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Another problem for the minister is that the UK Treasury – the funding department – needs to know which of the two options you have. If the country does not join Horizon Europe and Plan B is not ready in time, there is a fear that some of the allocated funds may be transferred to other important spending points.

Another reason why the scientific community has little confidence in British funding for funding is the government’s decision to abruptly abolish one of the world’s (and most popular) global funding programs, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), and the decision not to renew the term. An international fund and the Newton Fund, which expires in 2021. The unexpected withdrawal of GCRF, in particular, created chaos in existing projects. It is imperative that the UK government consult with other experts in the country to finance research on designing a replacement global fund. The consultation should also include organizations such as the Royal Society, the British Academy and the Royal Academy of Engineering, which were among those responsible for managing and issuing the GCRF and the Newton Fund.

These funds have supported the relationship between researchers in the United Kingdom and their international partners, including many in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in projects aimed at meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Funding has transformed research into many universities, in the United Kingdom and around the world. By 2019, GCRF was supporting nearly 5,000 researchers working on more than 800 projects in about 120 countries. Examining the lessons learned from this experience can be of great benefit to the designers of the new world fund.

The issue of the United Kingdom’s scientific separation from the EU must stand as a warning to researchers around the world: international scientific cooperation cannot be taken lightly. Researchers now expect that those who have been appointed to take the lead will understand that science and knowledge thrive in international cooperation – and that in times of political instability, disagreements or conflicts, research, knowledge and learning should continue despite those differences. But the way the United Kingdom and the EU split scientifically proves that this is not the case. As the world enters a period of uncertainty following the epidemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we urge all researchers to redouble their efforts maintaining and improving collaboration. No small action. Taken together, the actions of solidarity keep the relationship alive without a formal relationship, just as it did in earlier times of conflict and strife.

Source Journal Reference: Editorial published at Nature, Nature 606, 623-624 (2022) doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01676-1

Read Also: Nature Connect Focus: Water: how it is important for human life and for nature earth

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