LONDON – British science will need to set “realistic” ambitions after Brexit if it is to be excluded from the EU’s own plans, and focus on key areas where it can take a lead, according to the UK’s science minister. can play a role.
The UK has applied to join EU programs such as the Horizon Europe research and development framework and the Copernicus Earth satellite observation scheme.
But the European Commission has refused to sign off on Britain’s cooperation until a dispute over post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland is resolved.
In a speech at the centre-right think tank Onward in London on Wednesday, George Freeman highlighted the importance of a new UK funding initiative to encourage bilateral projects with partners in non-EU science powerhouses such as Japan, Switzerland and Israel. is appreciated.
But he acknowledged the UK cannot rely solely on bilateral cooperation, nor can it match the scale of science budgets of the US, China or the EU.
If Britain were to be permanently excluded from the EU’s science plans, he argued that it needed to focus on specific research challenges where it could lead a multinational coalition.
Freeman said that in a world dominated by China, the US and the EU, the UK “will need to play a realistic role that builds on our historical strengths.”
British science could then focus on areas such as polar research; Agritech and gene editing of crops; space; biosecurity; Synthetic biology and research in the growing field of functional foods, Freeman said.
There is a “huge opportunity” for the UK in these areas as Brexit allows the country to become a “global testbed” and regulate in an “agile” and “responsive” way, the science minister said – one of the biggest benefits for European leaving the union.
Touching on the controversy over the UK’s stalled engagement with Horizon, Freeman said he “cannot allow UK researchers to be benched”.
And they said: “If we can’t play in the European Cup of Science, we have to go and play in the World Cup of Science.”
As part of its “Plan B” if left out of EU science, the UK will seek fellowships for foreign researchers, “moonshots” on cutting-edge technology areas and more funding for global collaboration.
“If we move forward with a bold vision there is a possibility … the European Union will see that we are committed to doing this and I think it is more likely that they will pick up the phone and say, ‘Look, come back and let’s ERC [European Research Council] together’ and learn from some of the things we’re doing,” he said.
“I think we can have our cake and eat it too: I think we can become a domestic powerhouse, a European player and a more global player.”