00:00 In a major post-Brexit shift, the UK is to return to the flagship Horizon Europe science
00:09 research programme, Rishi Sunak has confirmed.
00:12 The Prime Minister said that from Thursday, British scientists can apply once again for
00:16 grants from the 85 billion euros programme, a move that will be welcomed with jubilation
00:21 from the science community in the UK, which was one of the leading beneficiaries of the
00:26 fund.
00:27 The deal follows a call between Sunak and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
00:32 on September 6.
00:34 Confirming the pact, which comes after months of talks, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed
00:38 he had struck the right deal for the UK, unlocking unparalleled research opportunities and also
00:44 the right deal for British taxpayers.
00:47 In its own statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "The
00:51 EU and UK are key strategic partners and allies, and today's agreement proves that point.
00:56 We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research."
01:01 The UK will also join the EU's Copernicus Earth Observation Satellite programme, which
01:05 has been crucial in monitoring the summer's weather events, including wildfires across
01:10 Europe.
01:11 But the EU has agreed to the UK's demand not to rejoin the Euratom programme.
01:15 The UK will instead pursue a domestic fusion energy strategy.
01:19 So what is the Horizon science scheme?
01:22 Horizon is a European Union scheme that funds research projects which the UK says it has
01:27 been excluded from for the past three years following Brexit.
01:31 This programme funds research, nuclear regulator Euratom and the Copernicus Satellite Monitoring
01:36 Group.
01:37 Under the deal announced Thursday, the UK will not pay association fees for the time
01:40 it was excluded from the arrangement, the British government said.
01:44 It will begin paying into Horizon from January 2024.
01:47 Britain is also talking up a new automatic clawback, which the government said means
01:52 the UK will be compensated should UK scientists receive significantly less money than the
01:57 UK puts into the programme.
01:59 The European Commission said that the agreement remains fully in line with the two sides'
02:03 post-Brexit trade deal known as the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
02:09 The UK will be required to contribute financially to the EU budget and is subject to all safeguards
02:14 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Commission said.
02:17 Overall, it is estimated that the UK will contribute almost €2.6 billion per year
02:23 on average for its participation to both Horizon Europe and the Copernicus component of the
02:27 space programme.
02:28 The deal is being seen as another reset moment for the relations between the UK and the EU.
02:34 Nathalie Louisot, French MEP and one of the leaders of the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership
02:39 Assembly said that the deal was a sign of a climate of restored trust.
02:44 The science community expressed immense relief that the deal was finally over the line.
02:47 Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, described the announcement as "fantastic
02:53 news" not just for the UK but for scientists across the EU and for all the people of Europe.
02:58 The agreement will need to be ratified by member states.
03:01 One diplomat warned that they would scrutinise the details to ensure there had been no deviation
03:06 from the original deal.
03:07 The UK was logged out of the Horizon programme for three years after a tit-for-tat row over
03:11 the Northern Ireland Brexit trading arrangements.
03:14 Lord Frost negotiated an associate membership, available for non-EU countries, in December
03:19 2020, but the deal was never ratified due to the dispute over Northern Ireland.
03:23 [Music]
