Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced today that the UK will soon rejoin European Union’s flagship £84billion research scheme. This came after the EU chief and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reached a “decisive breakthrough” after striking a deal over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Despite negotiating the UK’s entry into Horizon Europe, which offers scientists access to prestigues grants and opportunities for collaboration with peers from other countries, the EU had blocked the UK from this scheme, until its dispute over Northern Ireland had been smoothed over.
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Earlier today, Mr Sunak and Miss von der Leyen, finalised the agreement on post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland during a summit at Windsor after months of painstaking negotiations.
Responding to questions about Horizon Europe during a joint press conference, the EU President said: “Yes this Windsor framework is good news for scientists and researchers in the European Union and in the UK.
“Because of course the moment we have finished this agreement, so it’s an agreement in principle, the moment it’s implemented I’m happy to start immediately.
“Right now the work on an Association agreement, which is the precondition to joining Horizon Europe- so good news for all those working in science.”
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