The Westminster government is “still pushing” and “still hopeful” on associating to the European Union’s Horizon Europe research programme, but forthcoming plans to detail a UK alternative stepping up the nation’s global science role could nudge Brussels to “pick up the phone”, according to the science minister.
George Freeman made the comments in a speech hosted by the thinktank Onward, fleshing out a vision for the UK to be a “science superpower and innovation nation” in a future where science will be “as key to our geopolitical security as our military capabilities”.
Talks on association to Horizon Europe – which offers funding for international collaborations as well as for prestigious European Research Council grants recognising outstanding researchers – have stalled as the European Commission ties the issue to the impasse on resolving the Northern Ireland protocol.
