UK is close to signing a Horizon Europe deal, British media reports

The UK government is close to announcing an association deal on Horizon Europe, the EU’s €95.5 billion research and innovation programme, according to media reports in the UK.

Various media outlets reported Wednesday that UK prime minister Rishi Sunak is ready to sign a deal on association to Horizon Europe, with a formal announcement expected Thursday.

However, these reports remain unconfirmed by the EU side. A spokesman for the European Commission told Science|Business that Brussels will not comment. “If we have any announcement, we will do it through the usual channels,” the spokesman said.  

It is not the first time unconfirmed reports of a deal have emerged. Back in July, several media outlets on both sides of the Channel rushed to report that a political agreement was imminent after a draft deal between the EU and the UK had been reached, citing UK government officials.

At the time, the Commission poured cold water on the reports and multiple sources confirmed for Science|Business that talks were still ongoing.

However, this time the prospects of a deal seem more plausible as MPs and research representatives in the UK have already started to praise the progress that has been made since July.

“If the news of the UK returning to Horizon Europe is true, it will be a welcome boost for both UK and EU science,” said Greg Clark, the chair of the science, innovation and technology committee in the UK Parliament.

“UK science always brings a lot to international collaborations. Everyone gains from excellent UK researchers working with others to advance knowledge,” said Clark.

Talks between the two sides had been bogged down since the Commission warned that it would not rubberstamp the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe until a dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol was resolved. That bridge was finally crossed in February this year, but progress on association has been slow as London and Brussels locked horns over how much the UK should pay towards Horizon Europe’s budget.

But there are is no specific information yet on how the two sides have resolved the financial disputes or whether the UK will still be part of the nuclear and earth observation research programmes Euratom and Copernicus. “Wonks like me will pore over the detail in the coming days to see exactly how the deal was done,” said Martin Smith, head of policy lab at the Wellcome Trust.

The UK government has previously said the financial agreement should reflect the losses incurred by the delay, as it had to extend several times a support scheme for UK scientists who applied to the Horizon Europe programme but were not eligible for funding. The latest extension was announced in June and is meant to last until the end of September.

In parallel, the UK has also been working on Pioneer, an alternative, domestic research programme worth £14.6 billion which is set to kick in if talks with the EU fail.

Rumours about a potential deal have been welcomed with enthusiasm in the UK, but Brussels officials and experts are still silent on the issue.

Joe Marshall, chief executive of the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB), said a deal would be “a hugely positive step forward for UK research and development” but warned that the battle will continue in the coming weeks.

“We are now calling on the UK Government and the European Commission to finalise arrangements as soon as possible,” Marshall said. “Only then will UK researchers once again play a leading role in delivering important projects through Horizon Europe.”

Harshil Patel, head of scientific development at bioinformatics company Seqera Labs, said an agreement between the UK and the EU is “a positive step for international R&D collaboration” and could usher a “new era for scientific progress”.