GAMBICA | L@B Brief - January 2025

L@B Brief - January 2025

Hello Everyone,

NORMALLY, THE bulletin detailing what Government ministers have been up to is one of the dullest items in my inbox. However, this month it brought some good news: three visits to universities have taken place since the start of the year. The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology visited University College London. Minister Feryal Clark toured Cambridge, and there was also a visit to the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Could this be a sign that Government has recognised the value of our research community?

This increased interaction with universities gives hope that ministers will adopt a more comprehensive approach to supporting our world-class research sector because during these visits, ministers would have certainly heard about the damaging impact uncertainty over university funding is having on recruitment and the quality of research produced. Some money is starting to move. In December, the Medical Research Council awarded £50 million to each of the first two Centres of Research Excellence and funding from Innovate UK has also been on the rise. Meanwhile, positive developments regarding Horizon Europe certainly offer a path forward.

1 January marked one year since the UK formally joined Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research funding programme, along with its Earth observation programme, Copernicus. Horizon Europe has a €95.5 billion (£81 billion) budget for 2021-2027.

Wendy Brown, University of Sussex, who chairs a group of UK university chemistry department leaders, has praised the deeper international collaborations made possible by Horizon membership. “It’s an opportunity for formal partnerships with our European colleagues. Having EU funding is prestigious and reflects well within the community. UK researchers leading these projects is very important,” she says.

In July 2024, the UK was the top beneficiary of the most recent round of European Research Council (ERC) grants, securing 15% of the total awarded. UK researchers also excelled in securing grants from the ERC pot of €1.5 million to help early-career researchers launch their projects. In September, data showed that the UK had submitted the highest number of proposals for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowships in 2024.

While gaining access to Horizon Europe has been a success, Wendy Brown highlights issues stemming from Brexit. One problem is that PhD students joining Horizon-funded projects will pay domestic tuition fees at European institutions, but face much higher international fees if they choose to carry out their research in the UK.

“The immigration issues caused by Brexit are still a challenge, especially for PhD students, who are now treated as overseas students here,” she explains. “Before we left the EU, they were treated the same as UK PhD students, which made things easier.”

Still much more to do I fear!

Jacqueline

Inside this issue...