Support for UK’s involvement in EU’s research and development programme

The President of the Royal Irish Academy,Mary Canning believes that

‘Research and education represent an essential, highly productive and apolitical source of collaboration between Ireland, Northern Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe for the benefit of all’. Ongoing delays in approving the UK’s association with the EU Horizon Europe programme as agreed in the December 2020 Trade and Co-operation Agreement, is of concern to the whole research community on the island of Ireland’.

The UK is an important and strategic research partner for Irish-based researchers but those partnerships are in jeopardy without a UK link with Horizon Europe.  

Researchers in Ireland and Northern Ireland have developed strong competitive research partnerships capable of competing at the highest level for research funding and delivering innovation on an international scale. The Horizon Europe framework programme offers:

• A means of supporting engagement, exchange and mobility between the research communities in Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe
•  Access to the partner countries’ resources and infrastructure
• A well-established mechanism through which Irish-based researchers can tap into the knowledge and resources of the world-class UK and EU research systems and build strong collaborative partnerships

The decision by the UK Government (30.11.2021) to guarantee funding for the first wave of successful UK-based applicants to Horizon Europe in the interim, pending approval of its association, is welcomed by the Royal Irish Academy.