The UK originally was originally excluded from the massive £85 billion science and technology research programme, Horizon, following a dispute over the original Brexit withdrawal agreement. 

After the Windsor Framework agreement was made between the EU and UK earlier this year, the door was once again opened for the UK to re-join Horizon after its two-year hiatus. Now the UK is part of the programme again, as a fully associated member, throughout the lifetime of the programme. UK researchers can apply for grants and take part in projects under the Horizon programme starting from today. 

Even though the grant money lost from Horizon was matched by Downing Street following the UK’s withdrawal, the scope, scale and prestige of the Horizon programme is “unparalleled and no UK scheme could replace it adequately,” according to an open letter from First Minister Humza Yousaf in July. The First Minister of Scotland addressed the letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, urging the UK government to rejoin the programme. 

The Programme is a collaboration between Europe’s leading technology companies and research institutes, leveraging the international talent pool to face global scientific challenges, offering researchers opportunities that could not be re-created domestically. 

“The EU and UK are key strategic partners and allies, and today’s agreement proves that point. We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.

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Now that the UK has re-entered, they did so on new terms, which the Prime Minister claims is on better terms for taxpayers. Notably, the UK will not have to pay for the time it was excluded from the programme, a novel term in Horizon’s history. The UK will only need to pay the costs under the programme beginning in January 2024. 

The government also mentioned a new automatic clawback mechanism, which means the UK will be compensated if its scientists receive significantly less money than the UK puts into the programme.

“This deal has come as a huge relief to the scientific community,” said James Sheppard, managing director at Kadans Science Partner. “The uncertainty over the past three years has massively dampened UK-EU scientific collaboration. Leading members of the science industry here in the UK have been left in limbo over the future of their projects during this time.”

The UK will also participate in the Copernicus earth observation programme. This will give the UK access to EU space surveillance and tracking technology, which is critical in the march towards net zero. In the midst of a climate crisis, Copernicus’ observation offers evidence-based assessments of what is working in the fight against climate change, to influence policy makers to make critical decisions.