The UK joined the EU research programme on January 1st, but winners of prestigious ERC grants announced today must decide whether to decamp to the continent or settle for a UK backup

As a hub set up by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology to build UK participation in Horizon Europe opens its doors, the UK joins the EU semiconductor partnership 

With the UK finally associated to the framework programme after a three year hiatus, both sides are seeking to re-engage and build British participation. But on the EU side there are concerns about UK visa fees

Italy’s share of grants plummeted, while Belgium, Estonia and Lithuania had an excellent year. Excluded from much of the programme, UK participation fell further, and so did that of China as geopolitical tensions grew

With EU relations patched up, UK researchers and policymakers are planning the next moves. There are no firm plans for AI legislation, but an international collaboration fund set up during the wilderness years will continue, and there will be a focus on South American links

Roadshows, seed funds, and high-level visits are planned to get EU and UK partners collaborating once again. But UK universities also want an explicit guarantee the country will join the successor programme, FP10

Industry welcomes declaration of intent to work together on research and stimulate international trade in hydrogen. And the agreement is seen as helping to re-establish research cooperation that was undermined by Brexit

Details of the association agreement show the UK may only get a refund due to low participation in Horizon if it rolls over into the FP10 successor programme, due to start in 2028. And there are pending negotiations on the terms on which the UK rejoins the Copernicus earth observation system

The campus opened in 2020 after Brexit made it harder for EU students to go to the UK. From an initial cohort of 12 the university expects to enrol 180 – 200 students in the coming academic year