The news came, briefly but significantly, at the end of the press conference last month. Having announced details of the Windsor framework, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said talks could begin “immediately” for the UK to join Horizon Europe, the bloc’s flagship €80 billion research scheme.
It was welcome news not just for British universities but for business and industry. Uncertainty around the UK’s association with Horizon Europe has led top talent to leave, funding streams to dry up and planning and investment to stall.
Since that press conference, however, we have grown increasingly concerned by the noises coming out of Westminster and suggestions that a resolution, instead of being immediate, might take nine months or more.
