EU-UK: country rejoins Horizon and Copernicus programmes. Mr Bieler (Univ. of Nottingham) to SIR, “considerable advantages. Brexit has caused serious damage”

Andreas Bieler, professor of political economy at the University of Nottingham, is among the thousands of British academics rejoicing today at the announcement that the UK will rejoin Horizon, the world's largest science funding programme funded by EU funds. “I had asked a question in late 2018, when the UK was still a full member of this research programme, shortly before it was excluded as a result of Brexit”, the expert told SIR news agency. “I am interested in the programme and I want to prepare other proposals to obtain new funds, but I need to find out more information and get help from the university centre that deals with the application process, which is always very complicated and time-consuming. In the past, British universities have obtained a lot of funds from the approximately 100 billion euros that Horizon makes available to us, and it is very important for us to be able to participate again”. According to the professor: “the conditions have not changed compared to when we were full members, even if now the UK rejoins the programme only as an associate member. The UK will also need to help fund Horizon. It will not just get funds without contributing to them. However, the benefits will undoubtedly outweigh the costs of our new participation. The fact that we are now back shows, once again, that Brexit has caused serious damage to the UK’s economy”.
Valentina Bombelli