Wellcome and Royal Society seek comment by Jan. 8 on UK-EU research relations

04 Jan 2018 | Network Updates

The Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society are seeking public comment until Jan. 8 on how the UK and European Union should continue cooperation on research and innovation after Brexit.

In a statement, the two organisations note that:

“The long history of partnership in research and innovation between the UK and EU has been a great success. Collaborative research papers between UK and EU partners boost citations, taking scores to twice the world average, while each €1 invested into EU research programmes delivers returns of €11 for society. By working together, the EU and the UK have achieved many research breakthroughs: helping bring medicines to vulnerable populations; accelerating the production of nanoparticles and biotechnologies; and preparing hyper-efficient aircraft for flight testing.

“Both the UK and EU have set out positive and ambitious visions for the future of this relationship, with the UK’s science and innovation paper and the EU’s ambitions for Framework Programme 9. It is now time to take the next step and explore what an “ambitious and close partnership for research and innovation” would look like in practice. A new Royal Society and Wellcome Trust project will bring together organisations from across the UK and EU, to develop a shared vision for this future partnership.

“We intend to deliver a framework for a future research partnership that is achievable, creative and ambitious. This should support rapid progression to an agreement which works for all parties, and lays the groundwork for implementation. This consultation is seeking evidence and views from across Europe to inform this framework.

“To achieve this we urge responses to be imaginative, and where possible to explain the rationale using examples and references. We would like to hear a wide range of perspectives, including those based on personal experience as well as specific expertise. You are welcome to respond only where you feel able, or comfortable.”

More details here.

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