The government has published its prospectus programme – titled ‘Pioneer’ – to protect and support UK research and innovation sector, should it be required in the event of the UK not associating to Horizon Europe.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“The strong preference of the Academy and the wider global research and innovation community has always been for the UK to associate with Horizon Europe. The progress indicated by discussions in recent weeks suggests that we are now closer to confirming that agreement. We hope that all parties will work together quickly to reach fair and appropriate terms for the association that reflect the impact of two years of delays. The whole engineering community would celebrate an announcement of continued partnership between the UK and EU.
“Should association prove impossible even at this late stage the information in the prospectus for Pioneer will be helpful to the community in preparing for the measures that would be put in place under those circumstances. The Academy has worked closely with DSIT, our sister National Academies and UKRI to be ready to deliver the Pioneer Discovery elements of that plan.”
Dr Andrew Clark, Executive Director, Programmes at the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“Pioneer Discovery is the current version of plans that have been developed over many years to cover scenarios in which the UK might be unable to associate with Horizon Europe. In the unwelcome event that these plans are needed, the Academy will work with our sister National Academies to deliver Pioneer International Fellowships, Discovery Fellowships, Research Professorships, and Entrepreneurship & Impact Awards. We are happy to discuss these plans with stakeholders who wish to know more and will engage with the community to maximise the effectiveness and accessibility of the schemes should they need to be implemented.
“Many elements of Pioneer would also be valuable additions on top of the opportunities provided by Horizon and current UK programmes. We hope that the government will seriously consider investing in those aspects of Pioneer once association with Horizon has been confirmed.
“Delayed association with Horizon Europe is not the only challenge for our international research and innovation partnerships. Ongoing uncertainties about the Official Development Assistance research and innovation budget mean that we and other UK delivery partners are unable to launch the next stage of partnerships with researchers and innovators across the Global South. There is still no clarity on whether funding will be confirmed even for the financial year that has already begun. Given the enormous potential of engineering innovation to improve the lives of the poorest people around the world, we call upon government to resolve these issues as soon as they can, so that we and others can restart our partnership programmes.”
Notes for editors
- The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.