FST JOURNAL

Professor Mary Ryan CBE, Vice-Provost for Research and Enterprise at Imperial College London also addressed the meeting. She pointed out that while we often use the shorthand of ‘European science’ and ‘British science’, the association agreement is about so much more than just science and technology. It includes the humanities, the arts and the creative industries, which are really well supported by European programmes. Those sectors had been concerned they would get squeezed out of the conversations that were taking place. Taking an holistic view of what research is – and how all the different pillars fit together – was critical.

She argued that the collaborative approach to research that has been made possible by Horizon is really vital for the future health of the UK science and research base, but also for our national security and prosperity. Imperial College and most UK universities operate globally: sometimes that is not fully recognised. European partners are essential to what universities like Imperial do.

Professor Ryan recalled that she had been a member of a working group for Plan B. As soon as those meetings went in the diary, sometimes at the last minute, everybody dropped everything else to take part. That was a measure of how important they were. Nobody wanted to stop calling it Plan B, because there was a plan A that all were holding onto.

She added that the thinking that went into Pioneer served as a useful stress test on how critical this partnership was. What else could be done with similar levels of funding? So it was a really important exercise, one that she thought should be done more often, testing and validating assumptions.

Operating at scale

The Horizon Europe programme is the world's largest multilateral research programme. America and China have large programmes but the European one is the biggest. It gives access to networks, flows of ideas, talent and funding at a scale that is globally significant.

It also creates a multiplier effect for UK research. For example, in Horizon 2020, Imperial took part in projects that totalled over €2 billion in value. The direct funding that came to Imperial was multiplied 27 times through partnerships with 16 different countries. That collaboration gave access to data, infrastructure, knowledge and talent from all those different regions. This multiplier effect is critical to UK success and UK excellence. It is driving thought leadership.

Being part of the European programme is key to maintaining excellence on the world stage. Association to Horizon is also the bedrock of the UK’s ability to become a science superpower. This is an area which can drive prosperity.

While working for association, UK universities did not just sit back. Like others, Imperial continued competing and was successful in over 170 proposals, bringing nearly €100 million in funding to the university. Importantly, there was no noticeable change in success rates. There had been a concern that applications might be judged differently from those of people from other countries, other institutions, yet there was no evidence of that. UK institutions were still seen as part of the European research community.

Imperial College London

Imperial also doubled down on its European bilateral engagements, not just as an insurance policy, but as a restatement of commitment and intent. It launched an international research centre with CNRS (the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris). CNRS covers essentially the whole of French science and this collaboration provides a further platform for Horizon engagement.

Polymagou. CC

 

The Horizon association agreement is in fact a good outcome for the UK, Professor Ryan argued. It is now able to lead projects and has access to European Research Council (ERC) funding. However, Horizon Europe has a limited timeframe. It is important to look forward to the next iteration. First, how can the UK expand its engagement further? How does UK thought-leadership feed into the development of the next framework? And how, indeed, can the UK play a part in those conversations without a commitment to be continually engaged?

As the ERC looks towards the next framework programme, its continuing independence is one of the elements it wants to protect. From a UK perspective, this is important: these multilateral programmes are inherently independent of the short term demands of national politics. That independence helps to maintain the excellence and integrity of the scheme.

The future

In this country, there is both the talent and the will to move forward. There is a well-funded and respected research base which can step into and lead these programmes. UKRI is at the heart of that, along with the academies and also the fellowship programmes that are critical to attracting people. The UK needs both to attract talent and grow its own.

In Imperial, there are early career researchers who, due to the hiatus in Horizon participation – have not yet had the chance to build the European networks that more senior colleagues have developed. They need help through the creation of engagement programmes and fellowship programmes.

Professor Ryan noted that over the past 10 years, academics from Imperial have co-authored papers with people in 192 countries. Of the papers written with the US, 60% also have a European co-author. It is not a matter of doing separate European and American collaborations: that is not how science works. Working out how to connect the European programmes more fully with broader international partnerships will be a key challenge moving forward.