UK rejoins EU Horizon scheme: Professor Alan Boyd comments
The government has announced that the UK is to re-join the EU’s flagship scientific research scheme, Horizon. UK-based scientists and institutions will be able to apply for money from the £81bn (€95bn) fund from today. Associate membership had been agreed as part of the Brexit trade deal when the UK formally left the EU in 2020.
Professor Alan Boyd FMedSci, CEO and president of drug development consultancy, Boyds, responds to the announcement:
“I welcome the news that the UK is re-joining Horizon as a partner with our life sciences colleagues in Europe. It will provide the sector with a much-needed boost and recognises the valuable contribution the UK has made and continues to make to global scientific research and development.
“Having previously been involved in ‘New Deal’, a Horizon 2020-funded European research and innovation project that brought together clinical experts, scientists and companies to develop a new therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), I really appreciate the value of the Horizon scheme and the way it unites researchers working across geographical borders and enables collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
“Developing cutting-edge science into medicines is a global exercise, with the potential to impact the global population, and so a collaborative, patient-first approach is essential if we are to effectively translate research into the clinic.
“Regaining access to Horizon will enable the UK to reinstate its position as a European life sciences superpower.”
Read more about the Horizon Europe programme and what it means for scientists here: UK joins Horizon Europe under a new bespoke deal – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
