UK Research Adjusts Post-Brexit
British universities are exploring new models for international research collaboration following Brexit. A February 15 analysis highlights that European grant platforms must now support more complex cross-border eligibility and data requirements to accommodate the evolving compliance landscape for researchers.
- The UK formally associated with the EU's €95.5 billion Horizon Europe research program starting January 1, 2024, allowing UK-based researchers to again lead and participate in collaborative projects on similar terms as EU member states. For the interim period of 2021-2023, UK entities could apply but relied on a UK government guarantee for funding as the association was not yet formalized. - Before securing the Horizon Europe association, the UK government had developed a £14.6 billion alternative plan called "Pioneer". This program was designed to support UK research and innovation through four pillars: Talent (£2 billion), Innovation (£3.5 billion), Global (£3.8 billion), and Infrastructure (£1.7 billion). - Since the 2016 referendum, there has been a noticeable decline in research collaboration volumes between the UK and EU partners, who historically accounted for over half of the UK's international research output. In parallel, collaborations with East Asia have grown from 12% to 17% of UK co-authored papers by 2022. - UK scholars are now less likely to be the first author on joint publications, especially those involving EU partners, suggesting a shift in the UK's leadership role in shaping collaborative projects. - The period of uncertainty around access to EU funding is estimated to have cost the UK £1.5 billion. Furthermore, applications from EU students to UK universities dropped by about 40% between 2021 and 2022, impacting both university finances and the talent pipeline. - To bolster its domestic research capabilities, the UK government announced a public R&D investment of £86 billion for the financial years 2026 to 2030. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will allocate £58.5 billion of this to support foundational research, strategic priorities, and innovative companies. - The UK's gross domestic expenditure on R&D was £70.7 billion in 2022, which is 2.77% of its GDP and slightly above the OECD average of 2.73%. The business sector is the largest source of R&D funding in the UK, accounting for 62% of the total.
