The European Commission and the United Kingdom reached a political agreement on 7th September 2023
on the UK's participation in Horizon Europe, the EU's research and
innovation programme, and Copernicus, the EU's world-leading Earth
observation programme.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “The
EU and UK are key strategic partners and allies, and today's agreement
proves that point. We will continue to be at the forefront of global
science and research.”
This mutually agreed solution follows
in-depth discussions between the EU and the UK and will be beneficial to
both. It will allow the EU and UK to deepen their relationship in
research, innovation and space, bringing together research and space
communities.
Today's agreement remains fully in line with the
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The UK will be required to
contribute financially to the EU budget and is subject to all the
safeguards of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Overall, it is
estimated that the UK will contribute almost €2.6 billion per year on
average for its participation to both Horizon Europe and the Copernicus
component of the Space programme.
In more detail
As of 1 January 2024, researchers and organisations in the UK will be able to participate in Horizon Europe
on par with their counterparts in EU Member States and will have access
to Horizon Europe funding. This will reinforce the opportunity to be
part of a worldwide network of researchers and innovators aimed at
tackling global challenges in climate, energy, mobility, digital,
industry and space, health, and more.
Association to Copernicus will
enable the UK's contribution to a strategically important space
programme with a state-of-the art capacity to monitor the Earth and to
access its services. Copernicus makes an essential contribution in
reaching our European Green Deal and net-zero objectives.
The UK will also have access to services from the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking, a component of the EU Space Programme.
Next steps
Today's
political agreement must now be approved by the Council before being
formally adopted in the EU-UK Specialised Committee on Participation in
Union Programmes.
Background
The UK
association to certain EU programmes is governed by the Trade and
Cooperation Agreement. The agreement on the Windsor Framework earlier
this year allowed the EU and the UK to open a new chapter in their
partnership, based on mutual trust and full cooperation.
For more information
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