Across 49 pacey pages Pioneer global science for global good sets out a “bold and ambitious” alternative to Horizon Europe.
And it is worth saying up front that it is both bold and ambitious. If we think back to the Nurse review his big lament about UK research is that governments keep changing their priorities which then make consistent policy development impossible. Pioneer takes a leap over this trap and instead clearly sets out how £14.6bn of funding earmarked for Horizon will be spent by 2027/28.
The spending commitments are pretty straightforward. There is some funding for people with new studentships, doctorates, fellowships, and professorships. There is some funding to encourage collaboration between business, international partners, and universities, aligned to existing policies like the Innovation Strategy.
There is funding for Horizon adjacent international partnerships a bit like the model with Japan. And finally, at long last, there is infrastructure funding for things like new lab space. These four streams are underpinned by proposals to expand existing funding streams like QR (not sure what Nurse would say about this).
