He also reckoned it was “a perfect deal for British taxpayers” as London would no longer pay for UK-excluded research projects from 2021.
During a visit to the University of Warwick (central England), he said he “listened” to scientists and researchers, who insisted that it was a priority and praised the benefits in terms of growth and jobs.
A big day for researchers
According to the European Commission, the UK will contribute an average of €2.6 billion a year to the Copernicus part of Horizon and the space programme.
British scientific bodies the Academy of Medical Sciences, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society hailed it as “a great day for UK and European researchers”.
“The Horizon program is a beacon of international collaboration and UK-based academic and industrial researchers will now be back at the heart of it,” they added.
Michael Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, urged London and Brussels to work urgently to “rebuild the UK’s strong position on Horizon”.
However, the UK will not participate in Euratom’s nuclear program, preferring to pursue its own initiative. A year ago, the UK appealed against being excluded from European scientific research programs using a clause in the post-Brexit deal.
London condemned “constant delays” in accessing the programs and pointed out that the UK had negotiated access to Horizon in 2020, but that the EU was refusing to finalize its accession at that time.
Sally Mapstone, head of Universities UK, the body representing British universities, welcomed the decision announced on Thursday: “The whole research community inside and outside our universities will be delighted to know that an agreement has been reached”, she said. “Overcoming the obstacles to this partnership will not be an easy task,” he stressed.
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