Britain will be able to rejoin EU’s £84bn Horizon Europe scheme as part of new Brexit deal

The UK will be able to re-join the European Union’s £84billion Horizon Europe scheme as part of the new Brexit package.

Rishi Sunak this evening said the government has ‘now taken back control’ as he made a statement to MPs after shaking hands with EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen on the new agreement. 

And part of the package will include ‘good news for all those who are working in research and science’, the EU chief said, as the UK will recommence its participation within Horizon Europe.

The scheme is supposed to allow British researchers access to grants and collaborations with European counterparts. 

But British scientists had previously been blocked from funding from the scheme until a new deal could be agreed – an issue that had been an obstacle during negotiations. 

Rishi Sunak this evening said the government had ‘now taken back control’ as agreed a new Brexit deal with EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen

Part of the package will include ‘good news for all those who are working in research and science’

Science minister George Freeman had also previously accused Ms von der Leyen’s EU Commission of refusing to engage in talks over membership, saying Brussels was blocking Britain’s requests because of the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Instead, the bloc was accused of effectively diverting the UK’s grants to its own scientists.

But announcing the new Brexit deal tonight following talks at Windsor, the EU chief said: ‘Yes, this Windsor framework is good news for scientists and researchers in the European Union and in the UK.

‘Because the moment we have finished this agreement. So at the moment its an agreement in principle, the moment it’s implemented I am happy to start immediately. 

‘Right now, the work on an association agreement, which is the pre-condition to join Horizon Europe. So good news for all those who are working in research and science.’

Mr Sunak added: ‘I’d also just add to that, there’s a range of different areas that we can cooperate productively on, and the President and I started when we first met.

‘But if you look at how we responded to the situation in Ukraine, that’s required very close coordination on things like sanctions policy, which the president has led and we’ve worked very closely together on that.

Mr Sunak and Ms von der Leyen shake hands during their press conference at Windsor Guildhall earlier today

‘Also energy security more broadly, given the interconnected nature of our energy market. Climate change is another area, and indeed illegal migration. 

‘These are all the types of things that we can continue to make good progress on working together to the benefit of all of the communities that we represent, and I look forward to doing that with President von der Leyen.’

Commenting on the UK’s return to Horizon Europe, assistant director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering Dr Daniel Rathbone said: ‘The UK’s science relationship with the EU has been ‘on ice’ for the last few years, with the UK’s association to Horizon Europe stalled pending resolution of the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) negotiations.

‘Therefore, I am thrilled that President von der Leyen said that today’s NIP agreement is ‘good news for scientists and researchers across the UK and EU’ and that work can start on association immediately, once the NIP deal is implemented.

Announcing the new Brexit deal, the EU chief said: ‘Yes, this Windsor framework is good news for scientists and researchers in the European Union and in the UK

‘Negotiators should now press to associate the UK to Horizon Europe as soon as possible. UK and EU scientists are ready to go with collaborations and projects that will be of great benefit to people and businesses across the UK and Europe.

‘There are likely to be issues to be resolved around the UK’s financial contribution because the programme is now two years old, but these are very solvable, especially with renewed goodwill on both sides.’