28 Jan 2020
Horizon 2020 – UKRI update on continued participation
As the 31 January 2020 approaches, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have published the following statement regarding the UK's continued access to the Horizon 2020 programme, which confirms that once the Withdrawal Agreement is approved we will remain eligible to apply for the duration of the programme:
"UK scientists, researchers and businesses can continue to participate in, bid for and lead projects in the European Union’s (EU) flagship programme Horizon 2020, as if the UK remained a Member State, even after the UK exits the EU on 31 January 2020.
The UK remains the second-highest recipient of Horizon 2020 funding for science and innovation and UK organisations are encouraged to continue to bid into calls for grants until the end of the Horizon 2020 programme.
Following the Second Reading in Parliament of the Withdrawal Agreement on 20 December, the UK has now stepped down its preparations for leaving the EU without a deal, with confidence that it will ratify the EU Exit deal by 31 January.
The Withdrawal Agreement means that the UK continues to participate in EU Programmes financed by the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) until their closure. Horizon 2020 is a Programme funded under the current MFF. UK scientists, researchers and businesses can continue to participate in these programmes and receive EU grant funding for the lifetime of individual projects, including projects finishing after the transition period ends in 2020.
A very limited number of UK Horizon 2020 projects, which involve access to security-related sensitive information restricted for EU Member States, may be unable to continue after EU Exit in their current form. The government expects the European Commission to inform participants if this is the case. Any affected UK grant holders should contact UKRI at EUGrantsFunding@ukri.org.
The priority continues to be securing the best outcome for UK research and innovation and creating the best possible environment for collaborations and international partnerships to flourish. This includes a mutually beneficial future relationship with the EU in science and innovation."*
Our participation in the forthcoming Horizon Europe Programme (the successor to Horizon 2020) remains subject to negotiation, and discussions are unlikely to move forward until Member States have agreed the next EU budget for the period 2021-2027.
Our colleagues at UKRO continue to maintain their Brexit factsheet, which provides a useful overview of the current position.
For further information, please contact Clare Edwards by emailing c.e.edwards@lboro.ac.uk or your School’s Research Development Manager.
*Original statement accessible via the UKRI website here.