The LERU issues a statement on the United Kingdom and Horizon Europe

«Today, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) is relieved and delighted to co-sign and to co-issue a positive statement on the association of the UK to Horizon Europe. The Windsor Framework, announced by the UK and the European Commission earlier this week, makes this association a real possibility in the coming months. After years of advocating for this association, the LERU is very pleased with this development. 

Common sense seems to have returned. What was obvious for everyone in the academic world has now also been confirmed by the EU and UK political leadership: the UK will soon be able to associate to Horizon Europe. This will allow European research and innovation (to continue) to flourish at the very highest levels of international excellence and to have major impact on the world we live in.

For decades, UK and EU universities developed close partnerships and have tackled global challenges such as climate change, cancer and digital transformation —partly thanks to the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation. However, in recent years, political games on both sides of the Channel have endangered this cooperation. Let's hope that very soon this can be put behind us, and that this cooperation can be revived.

LERU's Secretary-General, Professor Kurt Deketelaere, for whom this association had become a personal mission, says: “On a daily basis, we experience in the LERU network that research and research collaboration know no borders. The UK has some of the most prominent research-intensive universities in the world (of which five are LERU members) and their association to Horizon Europe will be of immense value. We strongly urge the European Union institutions and the UK government to finally make this happen, now that a major obstacle has been removed. Continuing close collaborations and tackling the many societal challenges in the framework of Horizon Europe are for the benefit of every European citizens’ wellbeing and prosperity”. And he concludes: "Let's now do the same for Switzerland!"

 Read the joint statement.