{"id":121994,"date":"2023-12-04T18:29:29","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T18:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cottontailsonline.com\/?p=121994"},"modified":"2023-12-04T18:29:29","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T18:29:29","slug":"uk-rejoins-eu-horizon-scheme-as-rishi-sunak-strikes-major-brexit-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cottontailsonline.com\/politics\/uk-rejoins-eu-horizon-scheme-as-rishi-sunak-strikes-major-brexit-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"UK rejoins EU Horizon scheme as Rishi Sunak strikes major Brexit deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The UK has rejoined the European Union\u2019s Horizon scheme after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck a deal with Ursula von der Leyen. The Horizon scheme is one of the EU\u2019s key funding programmes for research and innovation.<\/p>\n

The UK will officially rejoin Horizon on New Year’s Day, 2024, when it becomes an “associated country”. As part of the scheme, British researchers will be able to participate on the same terms as European researchers.<\/p>\n

On Monday, the final step towards the UK rejoining the programme was completed when the EU-UK Specialised Committee on Participation in the Union Programmes finalised the political agreement.<\/p>\n

As a result of the agreement, the UK will have closer ties with the EU allowing it to expand its research and innovation programmes.<\/p>\n

Together, the UK and the EU will bring together research communities to help tackle major problems such as health crises and climate change.<\/p>\n

READ MORE <\/strong> ‘He just wants to rejoin!’ Keir Starmer promises even closer ties to the EU[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Under the new agreement, the UK will contribute \u20ac2.43 billion per year and roughly \u20ac154 million for participation in Copernicus. Copernicus is the Earth observation part of the EU\u2019s space programme which tries to assess the planet in a way that benefits everyone living on it.<\/p>\n

A joint statement about the UK rejoining Horizon published in September said: \u201cAssociation to Horizon Europe will further strengthen and deepen links between the scientific communities in the UK and the EU, foster innovation and enable researchers to work together on global challenges from climate to health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UK Government and the European Commission look forward to enabling collaboration between their researchers in which the UK and the EU share a mutual interest, such as in new and emerging technologies. To this end, the EU will assess UK participants’ access to strategic parts of the Horizon Europe programme on equal terms with other associated countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe association of the UK to Copernicus will enable the UK’s access to a state-of-the-art capacity to monitor the Earth and to its services. The UK’s association to Copernicus comes at a crucial moment, where the Copernicus space infrastructure and its information services will evolve further and their contribution to understanding and acting on environmental and climate change-related challenges is more important than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The statement added: \u201cThe UK will also have access to EU Space Surveillance and Tracking services. In line with the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the European Commission and the UK Government have also agreed to appropriate terms regarding the UK’s financial contribution for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 reflecting the fact that UK researchers did not participate in Horizon Europe or Copernicus from their beginning in 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the finalisation of this agreement, THE Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said: \u201cBeing part of Horizon and Copernicus is a colossal win for the UK\u2019s science, research and business communities, as well as for economic growth and job creation \u2013 all part of the long-term decisions the UK government is taking to secure a brighter future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UK led a quarter of the work we were involved in through Horizon\u2019s predecessor, so we know from recent history the importance of the UK\u2019s skills and expertise in making this programme work.\u201d Ms Donela said it was \u201cvital that we seize this moment\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ms Donelan added: \u201cNow it is essential that we bring our science, research and business communities together with their EU and global partners to deliver the benefits from our bespoke Horizon and Copernicus deal, from our share of the 300,000 new jobs Horizon aims to create, to the untold advances it will unlock for our health, the environment and more.<\/p>\n