The campaign, Stick to Science, calls for an open and collaborative research and innovation landscape in Europe that is free from political barriers.
It comes as the UK’s participation in the EU’s research and innovation programme has stalled. Negotiations over the UK’s final association to Horizon Europe, the EU’s €95.5 billion (£79.4 bn) research and innovation programme, are part of post-Brexit trade arrangements. Campaign organisers are urging the EU to put science collaboration ahead of political disagreements and finalise association as soon as possible.
Switzerland and the UK are two long-standing and academically important partners in the European research and innovation landscape. The current situation means that the work of some of the best minds in Europe's science and excellent research infrastructures could miss out on the additional scientific knowledge and resources of UK and Swiss institutions. These circumstances could prevent Europe’s top scientists from working together to tackle global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and food security and already the delay in securing association is having an impact on collaborations.
It is estimated that the UK and Switzerland would add another €18 billion (£15 bn) to the Horizon Europe budget of €95.5 billion (£79.4 bn) representing a top-up of 18%, and allow greater collaborative resources for Europe to be put into world-leading research projects.
Among the first supporters of the campaign from across the European research and innovation community are Cambridge’s Professor Toope, Professor Dame Athene Donald, Master of Churchill College, and Nobel Prize winner Professor Didier Queloz.
Professor Toope said: "I am pleased to join academic and business leaders from across Europe’s research community in supporting the ‘Stick to Science’ Campaign. Collaboration across borders remains crucial for tackling the most pressing challenges of our time, so today we are calling for European leaders to prioritise science and research by urgently securing the UK’s association to Horizon Europe."
Members of the European scientific community can add their signatures to the initiative.
Adapted from a press release from Stick to Science
Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen J Toope has joined other Cambridge researchers in supporting a new campaign to ask EU leaders to place science collaboration before politics. This comes as the UK’s and Switzerland's participation in the EU's world-leading research and innovation programme Horizon Europe is yet to be finalised.
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