EDITORIAL
A key time for UK–Europe science
T
he opening line of a recent Financial Times ar-
ticle put it best: “Relations between the UK and
EU badly need a reset.” Although the article was
mostly about geopolitics, the disconnect also
applies to science and the current uncertainty
about whether the UK will remain an associated
partner in European Union (EU) research pro-
grams such as Horizon Europe. In the post-Brexit era,
and with a new UK Prime Minister to be named shortly,
the UK and EU should be considering how best to maxi-
mize the potential of the numerous brilliant scientists,
technicians, academics, and clinicians working in the
universities and research institutes of all European
countries, including the UK.
An unintended casualty of the UK’s withdrawal from
the EU was the country’s ability to participate fully in
the collaborative ecosystem of research and innovation
that had evolved during the
UK’s 47-year membership in
the organization. British uni-
versities, and the staff and stu-
dents working and studying
“It’s time to untangle
science from post-
in them, have been highly de-
sired partners. These interac-
tions, which could continue if
the UK is an associated coun-
Brexit geopolitics so
try, are currently at great risk
because of the complexities of
that European science
the post-Brexit negotiations.
Hopefully, after last month’s can thrive.”
tumult surrounding the res-
ignation of Boris Johnson
and the uncertainty about who will be the next Prime
Minister, there will be a calm reappraisal of the risks of
going it alone for both the UK and the European con-
tinent. What could emerge is a renewed effort to find a
negotiated solution that allows the UK to continue to
maximize its potential as a fully engaged contributor to
European research and innovation.
To its credit, the current UK government has worked
to promote and enhance the country’s own scientific
endeavors by increasing current funding and pledging
more in the future, and by enhancing visa schemes and
other immigration rules to continue to attract and re-
tain talented individuals from home and abroad.
There has also been work on a so-called “Plan B” for the
PHOTO: THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
eventuality that the UK fails to associate with Horizon Eu-
rope, the EU’s key research funding program with a bud-
get of 95.5 billion euros. However, this would be a poor
second best: Witness Switzerland’s similar approach a
few years ago, which left its researchers seriously isolated.
SCIENCE science.org
At the same time, the UK government recognizes
that some collaborations can pose national security
risks, particularly with institutions in countries whose
governments the UK disagrees with. This has led to a
clamor among a subset of politicians for more legisla-
tion to “control” or “manage” the country’s universities.
I have been involved in some of these discussions and
have been heartened by many experts in UK security
agencies and in parts of the UK government who recog- Peter Mathieson
nize the value of these partnerships and of keeping risk
is the principal
mitigation measures proportionate and balanced. The
of the University
UK could learn from experiences in Australia and the
of Edinburgh,
United States where similar recent legislation related
Edinburgh, UK.
to national security has stymied research and innova-
tion. For example, Australian universities expressed principal@ed.ac.uk
concern about their autonomy and about limitation of
their abilities to deliver societal benefits.
The university sector in the
UK has warmly welcomed the
creation of the Research Col-
laboration Advice Team, which
will provide a single point of
Downloaded from https://www.science.org on August 08, 2022
contact with UK government
and security agencies. I and
others will continue to work
with them and with the se-
curity services to understand
risk, disseminate good prac-
tices, and provide an early
warning system when real
dangers are recognized.
A mature, two-way relation-
ship between government and the university sector is in
everyone’s best interests. A similar maturity should be
brought to finding solutions for the challenges posed by
securing the UK’s association with Horizon Europe and
with other EU programs.
Without a “reset” of UK–EU scientific relations, the
“brain drain” from the UK—which has already started,
with at least 19 researchers funded by the European
Research Council recently relocating to EU countries
to keep their funding—will become an avalanche.
The role of the UK in the cohesion and productivity
of European science will be the victim, with serious
implications for global science capability. There is an
opportunity for the UK government and the European
Commission to prevent this now. It’s time to untangle
science from post-Brexit geopolitics so that European
science can thrive.
–Peter Mathieson
10.1126/science.ade1620
5 AUGUST 2022 • VOL 377 ISSUE 6606 559
 A key time for UK–Europe science
Peter Mathieson

Science, 377 (6606), • DOI: 10.1126/science.ade1620

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