EUTOPIA Celebrates Coming Back of University of Warwick to Horizon Europe and Copernicus

After the much-awaited anticipations, the European Commission and the United Kingdom have struck a political agreement regarding the UK’s involvement in two crucial European Union initiatives: Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation program, and Copernicus, the Earth observation program. Commenting on the agreement, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated “The EU and UK are key strategic partners and allies, and today’s agreement proves that point. We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research.”
 

Starting from January 1, 2024, researchers and organizations in the UK will enjoy equal participation rights and access to funding under Horizon Europe, enabling them to collaborate on global challenges spanning climate, energy, digitalization, space exploration, and more. The association with Copernicus will grant the UK access to this strategically significant space program, which plays a pivotal role in achieving the European Green Deal and net-zero objectives. Additionally, the UK will benefit from services provided by the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking component of the EU Space Program. 

This is an occasion for celebration for EUTOPIA too as our partner the University of Warwick would largely benefit from the program. The political decisions followed by Brexit had significantly affected the mobility and exchange of students to and from the UK and the European Union. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom visited the University of Warwick where he announced the UK would rejoin the EU’s flagship research scheme, Horizon. The move means that UK-based researchers and innovators can access funding from the £85 billion programme, which has been widely hailed as a major boost for the higher education sector. Rishi Sunak said it was the ‘right deal for the UK’ as he confirmed that the UK would be rejoining Horizon as an associate member. The Prime Minister chose to make the major policy announcement at Warwick, which has a world-class science and innovation reputation and closely ties with research partners across Europe.

Sources : https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/prime_minister_rishi

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_23_4375