The United Kingdom is set to rejoin the European Union's flagship science research program, Horizon Europe, as part of what the British government has called a "bespoke new deal."

With a budget of €95.5 billion ($102.33 billion) per year, Horizon Europe funds scientific research in fields ranging from terminal diseases to climate technology to food and energy security.

Horizon has partnerships with several non-EU countries, but the UK had been locked out of the program for almost three years following a dispute over post-Brexit trading arrangements with Northern Ireland.

Now, following negotiations concluded by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a call on Wednesday night, the UK is set to return not only to Horizon but also to the EU's observation satellite program Copernicus Earth.

The UK and the EU science program

"As part of the new deal negotiated over the last six months, the prime minister has secured improved financial terms of association to Horizon Europe that are right for the UK," a British government statement read.

"Horizon will give UK companies and research institutions unrivaled opportunities to lead global work to develop new technologies and research projects, in areas from health to artificial intelligence."

The agreement, which requires ratification by EU member states, will see the UK contribute around €3 billion to Horizon and Copernicus from January 2024.

Downing Street said the intervening months will "provide breathing space to boost the participation of UK researchers in open calls for grants before we start paying into the program."

"We have worked with our EU partners to make sure that this is the right deal for the UK, unlocking unparalleled research opportunities, and also the right deal for British taxpayers," Sunak said.

Key to the new deal is a so-called "underperformance clause," a mechanism that allows the UK to be "compensated should UK scientists receive significantly less money than the UK puts into the program." 

Sunak had also insisted on adjustments to account for the almost three years that the UK has spent outside the program.

"The EU and UK are key strategic partners and allies, and today's agreement proves that point. We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research," von der Leyen said.

A European Commission statement added: "Today's agreement remains fully in line with the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement (TCA). The UK will be required to contribute financially to the EU budget and is subject to all the safeguards of the TCA."

What the UK scientific community said about the Horizon deal

Data from the European Commission reveals a significant decrease in research grants awarded to British science programs since 2019 when €959 million was allocated across 1,364 grants. Thus far in 2023, only 192 grants have been awarded, worth just €22 million, so reactions to the new deal within the UK scientific community have been understandably positive.

"There will be relief throughout the research community that the uncertainty of the last two-and-a-half years has come to an end," Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, told The Guardian newspaper

"Nearly three-quarters of respondents to our survey of cancer researchers cited funding from the EU as important for their work, showing how crucial Horizon Europe association is for the future of cancer research," Mitchell added.

Paul Nurse, director of London's Francis Crick Institute for biomedical research, said, "This is an essential step in rebuilding and strengthening our global scientific standing." He also thanked "the huge number of researchers in the UK and across Europe who, over many years, didn't give up on stressing the importance of international collaboration for science."

The UK's opposition Labour Party welcomed the deal, which is being seen as the latest thawing in relations with the EU, but said Britain had already missed out on "two years' worth of innovation."

"Two years of global companies looking around the world for where to base their research centers and choosing other countries than Britain, because we were not part of Horizon," said Labour science spokesman Peter Kyle. "This is two years of wasted opportunity for us as a country."

mf/sms (AFP, Reuters)