UK Researchers Suffering Due To Brexit Delay

According to MPs, delays in Brexit discussions are likely to "freeze out" UK scientists from EU research programs. The EU stated earlier this month that the UK's participation in its £100 billion research program was contingent on Northern Ireland discussions. According to the European Scrutiny Select Committee of the House of Commons, British science will not recover from “lost opportunities.”

Cash cannot be delivered to UK collaborators until a formal agreement is reached, the delay is causing issues. EU researchers will not include UK experts in their projects if it becomes clear that a deal will take many more months. The delay, according to members of the Committee, has raised questions about the value of money of participation in EU programs. The UK's annual contribution to Horizon Europe is estimated to be over £2.1 billion. Prof Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society in the United Kingdom, has urged negotiators to avoid using research funding as a bargaining chip.