Following a post-Brexit hiatus, UK researchers now lead MSCA and ERC funding
Photo credits: weyo / BigStock
The UK has emerged as a leading beneficiary of flagship EU research schemes, ranking first in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) funding and second in European Research Council (ERC) grants in 2025, just two years after formally rejoining the EU Framework Programmes.
January 2026 marks the second anniversary of the UK’s official association to Horizon Europe, after a three-year period during which UK researchers were unable to receive new EU research funding. Unable to join Horizon Europe when it began in 2021 because of broader political disagreements, UK researchers were informally allowed in at the beginning of 2024.
But with grant applications usually taking many months to prepare, 2025 was the UK’s first full year competing in Horizon Europe on a fully equal footing with EU countries. The figures already point to a robust…
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