The UK explains the post-Brexit scientific position

The UK explains the post-Brexit scientific position 

The British government wants to reach an agreement on a large-scale "scientific and innovative" agreement with the European Union after it leaves the bloc in 2019. In a "position paper" on science and innovation published today, The British government says science will be an important part of the UK's future partnership with the EU and hopes to have a "full and open debate" with the EU on future collaboration.

The 16-page document states that the UK wants Europe to maintain its role as a world leader in science and innovation and will continue to play its role. "It is the United Kingdom's ambition to develop its only relationship with the European Union to ensure that we remain together at the forefront of collective efforts to better understand and improve the world we live in," the paper says.

On the horizon

The most important EU funding initiative is Horizonte 2020, which amounts to 80 billion euros, which runs from 2014 to 2020. The British government has already said funding for Horizon 2020 projects is that the United Kingdom is a member of the EU. "The United Kingdom will work with [the European Commission] to secure payments when funding is granted and Orison 2020 participants should continue to work normally," the report said. However, with regard to Marco Nine - the successor to Horizon 2020 - the document states that the future partnership "will be discussed".

Another concern for researchers is the UK's participation in the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). However, the document states that the UK will seek to "develop its in-depth history of working with EU partners in nuclear research" and adds that "there is a precedent for third-party participation [by Euratom] in seeking fusion ".

Indeed, Joint European Torus (JET) at the Culham Center for Oxfordshire Fusion Energy is widely funded by Euratom. A contract to extend Euratom participation to JET from 2018 to 2020 is still ongoing and the document reiterates that if this were to happen, the UK government will bear its share of the JET contract costs once left the EU.

Still to do

While some have understood the government's position, some are concerned about the lack of detail. "The document says many good things," says John Womersley, CEO of European Spallation Source. "The aspiration for an ambitious scientific agreement between Britain and the EU is absolutely correct, but the document lacks details on implementation that will likely be a disappointment for the majority of the scientific community rather than reassuring it."

Sarah Main, Executive Director of the Science and Engineering Campaign, says the British government must begin to make "firm commitments" for migration, regulation and scientific funding.

"It is good that the government indicates that all options are on the table to continue scientific collaboration, including the possibility of a tailor-made agreement as an associated country," he adds. "This milder approach to mutually beneficial agreements over Brexit is possible because of the high degree of respect in which UK science is maintained and its research networks are strong across Europe."