The UK returns to the European Horizon and Copernicus

The European Commission and the United Kingdom have reached a political agreement over British participation in the Horizon Europe and Copernicus science programmes, which have been banned since Brexit.

The understanding announced on Thursday follows months of negotiations, allowing UK researchers to apply for grants and take part in projects under the Horizonte programme.

Under this agreement, the United Kingdom, as an associate member, is required to contribute financially to the EU budget of around €2.6 billion annually, on average.

From 1 January 2024, British researchers and organizations will be able to compete on equal terms with their counterparts from EU member states. The government claimed access to “the world’s largest research collaboration programme”, Horizon Europe, could be achieved through a “personal agreement on better financial terms”.

According to London, British taxpayers will not pay for the time it has been excluded from the programs since 2021, and an automatic reimbursement mechanism has been obtained if British scientists receive much less money than the UK puts into the programme.

The UK’s participation in the Horizon program was negotiated in 2020, but London has complained about persistent delays due to disagreements over post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland. The EU Executive Director stressed that “this mutually agreed solution is the result of in-depth discussions between the EU and the UK and will be mutually beneficial”.

“The EU and the UK are strategic partners and key allies, and today’s agreement makes this clear. We will continue to be at the forefront of research and innovation globally,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

This political agreement will need to be approved by the European Council before it can be formally adopted by the EU-UK Specialized Committee on Participation in EU Programmes. In addition to the Horizon programme, the UK will also be an associate member of the Copernicus programme, the European Earth observation programme, which provides information from satellites and other sources for future weather forecasts.