Brexit news The EU outsmarted as the UK to strike an agreement with Sweden and defy 80 billion pounds of littering | Science | News
Minister of Science George Freeman announced today that he met his Swedish counterpart Anna Ekström to discuss a science partnership between the United Kingdom and Sweden. Freeman pointed out key areas where the two power packages have already developed “long and deep scientific ties”. The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation tweeted: “Sweden and the United Kingdom have long and deep scientific ties in a number of important research areas.”
Mr Freeman said these include life sciences, particle physics, clean tech, aviation and satellite launches.
But this is not the only package of scientific power that Britain has enjoyed.
In February, Freeman also visited to explore a strengthened partnership between Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Mr Freeman wrote on Twitter ahead of his visit: “To Switzerland tonight for a two-day trip to explore a British / Swiss science and research collaboration.
“The United Kingdom and Switzerland are scientific power plants with enormous, common research interests.
“Between us, we have nine out of ten of the best universities in Europe.”
Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation Guy Paremlin told Express.co.uk that his meeting with Freeman was an “excellent opportunity” to forge a closer relationship between the two nations.
“It was an excellent opportunity to discuss various possibilities for intensifying cooperation in research and innovation, and in this context we agreed to work for a Memorandum of Understanding as part of this strengthening process.”
This comes after the UK was banned from the EU’s flagship research and innovation program, despite the UK’s involvement in the Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).
The UK was set to contribute £ 15 billion over a seven-year period to Horizon Europe so they could access the bloc’s £ 80 billion funding pot.
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But Mr Freeman seems to be going through with a “Plan B” to avoid the effects.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation tweeted in another post: “14 months ago in the EU’s withdrawal agreement, we negotiated to join the Horizon Research Program.
“If our association continues to be blocked, we can not allow British science to suffer from EU policies.
“So I’m developing a £ 6 billion global science plan for the UK.”
Although he has suggested that this could involve concluding agreements with five-eyed partners such as Australia and the United States, it also seems that not being part of Horizon Europe may nevertheless not limit the UK’s ability to conclude agreements with EU countries.
A key argument for Horizon Europe is that it facilitates collaboration between EU and UK researchers on key research projects, something British researchers feared would be jeopardized if the UK were banned permanently.
But Mr Freeman could signal to the research community that Britain’s exclusion from the EU program may not be such a problem.
However, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation has repeatedly stated that participation in Horizon Europe is the preferred option.
And British researchers have warned that the delay is causing significant damage and uncertainty to British science.
Russell Group policy chief Jo Burton said: “Despite the agreement for the UK to join Horizon Europe as part of the Brexit agreement over a year ago, accession has still not been completed, which risks all benefits being part of a major international cooperation gives everyone involved. ”
The Royal Society’s Foreign Secretary, Professor Sir Robin Grimes, said: “Science depends on cooperation for a free flow of ideas and expertise.”