EU and UK Reach Agreement for UK’s Participation in Horizon Europe and Copernicus

The European Commission and the United Kingdom have achieved a political agreement for the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme, and in Copernicus, the EU’s world-leading Earth observation programme.

Both programs fall under the department for which the Bulgarian candidate for European Commissioner Iliana Ivanova will eventually be responsible, whose approval by the European Parliament is expected on September 12. In her written answers to questions in the EP this week, she said there needed to be “stronger ties with like-minded countries” and one way of doing this was by associating those countries with Union programs such as Horizon Europe. The countries he was targeting were Great Britain and Switzerland.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “The EU and the UK are key strategic partners and allies and today’s agreement proves that. We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research.”

This mutually agreed solution is the result of extensive discussions between the EU and the UK and will benefit both parties. It will allow the EU and the UK to deepen their research, innovation and space relationship by bringing together the science and space communities.

Today’s agreement remains fully consistent with the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The UK will be required to make a financial contribution to the EU budget and will be subject to all the safeguards provided for in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Overall, the UK is estimated to contribute an average of almost €2.6 billion per year to its participation in both Horizon Europe and the Copernicus component of the space programme.

From 1 January 2024, UK researchers and organizations will be able to participate in Horizon Europe on an equal basis with their counterparts in EU Member States, and will have access to Horizon Europe funding. This will enhance the opportunity to be part of a global network of researchers and innovators aimed at addressing global challenges in climate, energy, mobility, digital, industry and space, health and more.

The UK will not make any financial contributions for the time it has not been associated with the programmes. These are the first two years of the 7-year financial framework.

Copernicus association will enable the UK to contribute to a strategically important space program with state-of-the-art Earth observation capabilities and access to Earth services. Copernicus makes a significant contribution to achieving our European Green Deal and net zero consumption goals.

The UK will also have access to the services of the EU’s Space Surveillance and Tracking Programme, which is a component of the EU’s space programme.

Today’s political agreement needs to be approved by the Council before being formally adopted by the EU-UK Specialized Committee for Participation in Union Programmes.

BOTH PROGRAMS

Horizon Europe is the world’s largest civilian research and innovation program with a budget of €95.5 billion from the EU alone, combined with contributions from associated countries. It supports EU Member States and Associated States in developing their national research and innovation potential by funding cutting-edge research projects, grants, breakthrough innovations and researcher mobility. Horizon Europe sets ambitious goals to tackle some of today’s biggest global challenges, such as health crises or the fight against climate change, as it strengthens technological and industrial capacity in the EU.

Copernicus is the EU’s Earth observation and monitoring satellite system. It consists of a complex set of systems that collect data from multiple sources: Earth observation satellites and in-situ sensors such as ground stations, airborne sensors and marine sensors. It processes this data and provides users with reliable and up-to-date information through a range of services related to climate change and the environment, disaster prevention and management and security. In this way, “Copernicus” makes a significant contribution to achieving the EU’s “Green Deal” goals.

UK companies and research institutes will be able to tender for contracts carried out under the Copernicus programme. They will follow the same rules as companies from EU Member States, except where the EU Space Program Regulation restricts participation in public procurement that is sensitive for security reasons.

Until now, scientists affiliated with a UK institution benefited from a transitional provision that allowed them to apply and be assessed as other potential beneficiaries of Horizon Europe calls. However, in order to be able to apply for EU funding, it is necessary to have an association agreement in place. In practice, this means that in most cases UK organizations have been able to continue their collaboration within Horizon Europe research consortia while receiving funding from other sources. Today’s agreement means that these researchers will have access to Horizon Europe funding from the 2024 work programs and beyond.

BALANCING

In the event that the UK receives more grant receipts than its grant contribution, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides that there is an automatic adjustment to the UK contribution if it reaches a threshold of 8% for two consecutive years.

In the event that the UK receives significantly less grant funding than its contribution, other adjustment mechanisms are in place. The first way to redress the balance should be to try to improve the level of UK participation. If the UK overpays by more than 12%, it can refer the matter to the Joint Specialist Committee on Participation in Union Programs to consider and agree appropriate measures to balance the situation.

Given that the UK has not fully participated in Horizon Europe over the past two years, the Commission and the UK have agreed a temporary and automatic mechanism to address any risk of critical under-performance by the UK for the remainder of the current Multiannual Financial Framework if the imbalance exceeds 16%.

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2023-09-07 08:58:03
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