UK and German universities look to strengthen research ties

The Russell Group of UK research-intensive universities has proposed a series of measures that would help increase collaboration between academic institutions in the UK and Germany. These include reducing barriers to data-sharing and supporting fellowships, placements and short-term exchanges.

The recommendations respond to a bilateral collaboration agreement signed by the UK and German governments in July, known as the Kensington Treaty, and follow a meeting in November between the Russell Group and its German counterpart, the German U15.

“There is strong appetite among German stakeholders to deepen collaboration with the UK, and vice versa,” the Russell Group said in a briefing. “Longstanding collaboration, a shared academic ethos, and complementary strengths, particularly in life sciences, AI, quantum and social sciences, make UK and German institutions natural partners.”

In order to achieve this deeper collaboration, the Russell Group advises UK and German universities and institutions to support short-term exchanges, such as summer schools, “as a low-cost way to spark partnerships.”

It also recommends boosting joint PhD and postdoctoral fellowships to complement EU-funded doctoral networks and industrial PhD and postdoctoral placements, with the possibility of attracting industry sponsorship. Meanwhile, the two countries should build on initiatives such as Choose Europe and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions to promote existing talent and cut red tape.

“Streamlining grant and reporting processes would make collaboration more agile, particularly for early-career researchers,” the Russell Group says in its briefing. “Greater coordination on research data governance and cross-border data exchange, where differing data protection regimes and national rules can slow or complicate cooperation, would further reduce friction and help projects move faster from idea to impact,” it adds.

While it has not formally endorsed the Russell Group’s recommendations, the German U15 supports the spirit of initiative. 

“The UK-Germany treaty set out new priorities for collaboration and a framework to boost existing links between universities and funders that can help to deliver on our shared ambitions as set out in the deal,” said Karla Pollmann, president of the University of Tübingen and deputy chair of the U15, in a statement. “Action on issues such as joint PhD programmes will ensure we maximise the value of UK-Germany university links.”

Deepening ties

“We’ve offered some practical ideas which governments can pick up as part of their plans to support bilateral collaboration, as well as ways to remove barriers and deepen ties,” said Douglas Dowell, policy manager at the Russell Group. “Where funding is available, we believe these ideas will help make it go as far as possible.”

“They could also help leverage funds and capabilities from elsewhere: Horizon Europe is obviously a big part of that, but it might involve other programmes too, such as Copernicus in space-relevant research,” he added.

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The Russell Group and U15 have a long history of collaboration, and their members frequently partner in EU research projects. 

“UK-German research collaborations are already a major part of the UK’s participation in Horizon’s Pillar 2,” Dowell said, referring to the part of the programme covering large collaborative projects. “We would hope that collaborations bringing together researchers and innovators from two large-scale European research nations would be attractive to other countries and generate successful consortia.”

The UK only associated to Horizon Europe in 2024 and has struggled to recover from its long Brexit-related absence from EU research. And concerns are already being voiced about its position in the next iteration of the programme. 

“The UK is one of our closest and strongest partners in science and beyond,” said Jan Wöpking, managing director at German U15. “The Kensington Treaty is a testament to this. Together with the Russell Group, we are determined to make the case that the UK needs to be fully associated with the next Framework Programme. The alternative is plainly absurd, as it would cause serious damage to both the UK and the EU at a time when ever closer cooperation is what we need.”