“I am fully aware of how the whole process of UK exit from the European Union has affected and your concern. But, as you know, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU guarantees participation in some programmes, namely in Horizon Europe,” he said.
The Minister spoke via video at the opening session of the 15th Lozo meeting, organized by the Association of Portuguese Scholars and Students in the UK (PARSUK), where she argued that “the internationalization of science, innovation and knowledge is also” in the hands of the diaspora.
“We want to strengthen European cooperation in the four pillars of the Horizon Europe 2021-2027 programme, with an emphasis on national participation in the European Research Council in collaborative research projects, as well as in institutional partnerships,” he stressed.
When the UK negotiated its exit from the European Union (EU), the UK maintained its status as an associated member of the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Framework programme, which has an estimated budget of €95.5 billion to support research, research and innovation.
However, Britain’s access to the program has been delayed due to disagreements between London and Brussels over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade status, putting scientific projects and British participation in research consortia at risk.
Universities UK, an entity representing British universities, wrote this week to European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, warning of the risk that the British government could cut cooperation later this month due to the impasse.
“Researchers across the continent have waited 17 months for the confirmation of this agreement, and the impact of this delay is being felt most acutely by British institutions and their counterparts in the European Union,” read the letter signed by the university’s vice-chancellor. De Swansea, Paul Boyle.
According to this official, preliminary data from the first funding rounds of the Horizon Europe program indicates that the United Kingdom has fallen from the second most frequent participant in Horizon 2020 to seventh place in the current program, and they said that some researchers from British universities are abandoning them. collaborative projects.
He revealed that in the face of delays in arrival, the UK government is now “in an advanced stage of planning comprehensive and large-scale national alternatives to Horizon Europe, drawing on billions of pounds of funding that has been earmarked for membership”.
Boyle warns that “once the decision to withdraw from participation in Horizon Europe is made, we anticipate that it will not be possible to return” to the Horizon Europe programme.
Luso 2022 is taking place today at Centro Israelita in London and its theme is “PARSUK FOR EVERYONE: UNITED FOR KNOWLEDGE” with the aim of discussing the role of science in society.
Sessions revolve around the pillars of society, culture and communication.
PARSUK President, Diogo Martins, stated that “the scientific and academic community [portuguesa no Reino Unido] Alive, energetic, and ready for dialogue, cooperation and partnerships.
Founded in 2008, PARSUK currently has 2,300 members.
According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the number of Portuguese students in British universities increased by 122% from 3,805 in the 2016/17 academic year to 8,470 in 2020/21, but demand will fall last year due to a change in access and funding conditions after the exit of Britain from the European Union.
BM // ZO
Lusa / end
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