Brexit: UK facing science ‘brain drain’ while locked out of EU Horizon scheme

UK wanted to stay in scheme after Brexit but is arguing over terms of membership

Labs are finding it harder to recruit outside the scheme (PA) (PA Wire)

A delay in joining the European Union's science programme post-Brexit has “damaged the UK’s reputation” in the life sciences field, experts have claimed.

British scientists are “finding it much harder to bring the brightest and best” with labs facing a “brain drain”.

The UK wanted to stay in the £81bn Horizon Europe programme after it left the EU but has faced a number of delays in confirming its membership.

Brussels was initially accused of locking the UK out of the scheme as a bargaining chip in negotiations over the Northern Irish border.

But with that issue now set aside the UK government is disputing the cost of joining the programme.

The UK says it should have a discounted contribution to the programme because of the time it has spent not taking part in it.

Leading scientists say joining is essential to the UK’s competitiveness in science.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology says it “remains in discussion on the UK’s involvement in EU research programmes and hopes that negotiations on Horizon Europe will be successful”.

But it says that any agreement to join “must be fair for UK researchers, businesses and taxpayers and reflect the lasting impact of two years of EU delays to the UK's association”.

A poll of 84 experts by the charity Cancer Research UK found that 75 per cent supported an association to Horizon compared to 11 per cent that favoured a UK-based alternative scheme.

Dr Ian Walker, executive director of policy, information and communications at Cancer Research UK, said the delay has “damaged the UK’s reputation as a hub for international collaborative research and investment in life sciences”.

“Cancer scientists are finding it much harder to bring the brightest and best into their labs,” he added.

“Not having access to Horizon Europe on the same terms as researchers in the EU would mean UK scientists are at the margins, rather than at the centre, of future funding opportunities.

“Association to Horizon Europe is overwhelmingly in the best interests of people living with cancer, and the scientists and clinicians researching new ways to beat it.

“Hopes have been raised that a deal is close, and it’s imperative that the UK and EU get association over the line.”

Two months ago the government extended the support provided to UK Horizon Europe applicants until the end of September.

Professor Julian Downward, head of the oncogene biology lab at the Francis Crick Institute, said: “We need Horizon Europe very badly. The current situation is damaging UK science every day.

“We are losing top junior faculty regularly who decide to move to EU countries so they can take up ERC grants.

“The UK faces a brain drain of scientific talent unless we can make the UK more attractive to international talent. Being able to bid for grants in Horizon Europe is an essential step towards that.”