Horizon Europe is the EU's signature funding initiative that pools in more than ￡80billion (€95billion) for research and innovation. And Mariya Gabriel, the European Union's Commissioner for Innovation and Research, blocked Britain from joining the project until it resolves the deepening row over the Northern Ireland Protocol. But now, Britain has a “bold plan B”, according to George Freeman MP, UK Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation.
He wrote on Twitter: “If the EU decide Northern Ireland Protocol politics stops UK joining Horizon Europe, we have a bold Plan B!”
He was responding to British Science writer Ehsan Masood, who earlier posted: “This looks pretty big. Horizon Europe has started. How long will @beisgovuk and UK science agencies wait before they can start talks to join?
“Or go with Plan B - create a bespoke international collaboration fund?”
The UK does have a smaller existing fund for international collaboration on science and innovation.
The Fund for International Collaboration (FIC) is a ￡160million fund supporting international collaboration.
It boosts the UK’s ability to build new, and strengthen existing, partnerships with global research and innovation leaders - and has already supported more than 30 international collaborative programmes of research, innovation and infrastructure.
But the deal, struck by Lord David Frost, has been hard to execute and the Government fears the trading relationship between Britain and Northern Ireland has been damaged.
Government officials have now threatened to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol and temporarily suspend parts of the deal.
In a speech on Tuesday, UK Brexit minister David Frost slammed the EU for raising the tension.
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