UK scientists lose European funding in row over Brexit deal

Nineteen researchers to move to EU institutions while 115 forfeit grants as they stay in Britain

A further suspected case is also being investigated (Lynne Cameron/PA) (PA Wire)

At least 115 UK-based scientists are to lose prestigious European grants and 19 are leaving Britain as a result of a row between London and Brussels over participation in a continent-wide research programme after Brexit.

A provisional deal for the UK to remain part of Horizon Europe has been thrown into doubt by Boris Johnson’s threat to tear up the protocol deal on Northern Ireland that he struck with the EU in 2019.

The EU is refusing to ratify Britain’s associate membership of the €95bn (£82bn) scheme, which funds projects from particle physics to vaccine research.

Earlier this month, almost 150 UK-based scientists who had secured promises of funding for cutting-edge research were told that they must declare their intention to transfer to institutions within the EU by Wednesday this week or lose their grants.

And the European Research Council has now revealed that 19 of them have informed it of their intention to leave the UK in order to keep their funding, with another 12 cases yet to be resolved.

An ERC spokesperson told Research Professional News: “The preparation of 115 ERC grants offered to UK based researchers will be terminated now that the 29 June deadline has passed.”

Under a plan drawn up as part of EU withdrawal, the UK would pay £15bn as an associate member into the scheme over seven years and its scientists could still bid for Horizon funding.

Grants were awarded over the past year on this basis, but contracts could not be signed until the UK was formally awarded associate status, which is being withheld in what appears to be a result of the Northern Ireland protocol row.

Mr Johnson has infuriated Brussels by tabling legislation that would allow Britain unilaterally to override delicate arrangements negotiated over a period of many months with the aim of keeping the Irish border open after Brexit. The PM complains that his decision to draw a customs border down the Irish Sea has disrupted trade between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain.

Among research projects understood to be affected are a star-mapping study being led from Cambridge University and work at Liverpool University on plasma.

Researchers losing out on ERC money are eligible to apply for replacement grants underwritten by the UK government.

UK Research and Investment said: “All those who apply for Horizon Europe guarantee funding and are eligible will receive the full value they are entitled to.”

Sir Adrian Smith, president of the Royal Society, told The Independent: “This is the reality of continued uncertainty.

“While the UK government’s underwrite will support these scientists to continue their research, the best outcome for both UK and European science is full association to Horizon Europe.

“The priority must be resolving this political impasse so that the valuable collaborations and relationships that have been built up over decades are not lost.”

Grant-winner Giovanni Rosotti, of the University of Leicester, told RPN earlier this month that he was planning a move to a new host institution in Milan.

“It’s not the only factor, but not losing access to ERC funds was a big reason behind my decision to move back to Europe,” he said.

“I decided to move because the ERC is not simply a large amount of funding, it’s also very well-known and therefore it attracts the best talent from all over the world when hiring students and post-docs, which I’ll need to do in the coming months.

“There’s no guarantee that the alternative replacement scheme from the UK government will do the same. Also, without access to the ERC, the funding for science in UK will massively decrease, and so betting long-term on the UK didn’t sound a wise choice to me.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Business said: “The government has guaranteed funding for eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe who are expected to sign grant agreements by December 2022 and who have been unable to sign grant agreements with the EU. 

“While the EU’s delays to formalising the UK’s association to Horizon have led to uncertainty for researchers, successful awardees do not need to leave the UK to receive this funding.

“The guarantee means that eligible, successful applicants will receive the full value of their funding at their UK host institution for the lifetime of their grant.”