The UK has associated to Horizon Europe – what’s next?

Association to Horizon Europe on 1 January was a crucial boost to UK and EU researchers across the disciplinary spectrum. Up until the original announcement of the deal in September - which we responded to in this statement -  colleagues across the continent had been calling for association as crucial to the important collaborations they are working on each day. Similarly, at Universities UK International, we have long been calling for UK and Swiss association to Horizon Europe.

It is positive news. Horizon Europe is the world’s largest multinational R&I funding programme, facilitating collaboration between international researchers and backing a range of initiatives – from the fundamental research making a difference to the world around us to market-driven innovation providing economic boosts. The UK has world-class researchers across the country and participation in Horizon gives them access to the funding and opportunities they would have been difficult or impossible to replicate from the outside.

These partnerships are building on strong foundations. UK universities have a long and successful record of collaboration with European counterparts – be it with industrial partners, working with European SMEs and businesses to develop new products and services, or with other universities and research institutes, on global challenges and fundamental research.

There is world-class quality to back these collaborations up too. Excellence is at the heart of Horizon Europe, with the global cache of the European Research Council attracting and retaining the best research talent from around the world, as well as offering increased avenues for researcher mobility through the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions.

What's next?

After spending the last few years out of Horizon and devoting much of our efforts to association, we are conscious that this is only the end of the beginning. The hard work to ensure we maximise the benefits of this deals starts now.

Over the next year, we will be working with our members to ensure UK researchers are fully aware of the funding opportunities available to them, and that research managers have the support and information they need to work on high quality proposals. We will also be organising events throughout 2024 with our members to discuss their strategies for boosting participation - including this conference taking place at the end of this month. 

UUKi will also be working with partners to position the UK as a committed, enthusiastic and reliable collaboration partner. This will involve active engagement with the European R&I community, promoting the deal and pushing back against any doubts that crept in during our absence from the programme.

We also must bear in mind that we are re-joining a Horizon Europe that is considering its future form. Discussions over the next iteration, Framework Programme 10, will gather pace over the next year. We want to play a constructive role in this process by providing feedback to EU institutions to enhance the impact of the next programme further still.

Finally, Switzerland’s status in Horizon Europe remains unresolved. We started Stick to Science in early 2022 with the aim of putting the wider benefits of scientific collaboration above political concerns. Though we have achieved our goal for the UK, we remain committed to supporting our Swiss partners to a successful conclusion. Positive developments in late 2023 provide some hope that a similar resolution can be found, and we will continue to advocate for their reintegration into the programme.

Peter Mason is Head of Global Research and Innovation Policy at Universities UK International. For more information on our work around UK and Swiss association to Horizon, access our webpage here.