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The government has announced that the UK will rejoin the Horizon Europe programme – a scheme which allows scientists and research institutes to apply for funding for scientific research.
Horizon Europe has an £81 billion funding pot, making it the world’s largest research collaboration programme.
The UK has been excluded from this scheme for the past three years due to Brexit, and researchers say this new negotiation has the potential to speed up innovative treatment for patients and create new public health interventions.
Possibility of new treatments and public health interventions
Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation said: “The NHS Confederation welcomes this announcement, having called for some time for both UK and EU decisionmakers to put patients first and ensure UK participation.
“We hope the deal that has been struck to accept the UK into the Programme will create more funding avenues for UK researchers and opportunities to steer, take part in and benefit from Europe-wide research on matters relating to population health and healthcare.
“In time, this could lead to more effective and innovative treatments, as well as broader public health interventions, becoming available.”
Dr McCay says the NHS Confederation is “hopeful” that the UK could make a number of successful grant applications that would help scientists to “resume the important international collaboration that is vital for public health.”
“Great news” for cancer research
Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, has also welcomed the announcement, and says the decision is “overwhelmingly in the best interests of cancer patients and scientists.”
“It is great news for cancer research that agreement has finally been reached between the UK and EU,” she said.
“There will be relief throughout the research community that the uncertainty of the last two and a half years has come to an end.
“Nearly three quarters of respondents to our survey of cancer researchers cited funding from the EU as important for their work, showing how crucial Horizon Europe association is for the future of cancer research,” she added.