The lack of access to the Horizon Europe program for three years after ‘Brexit’ has led Portuguese researchers in the UK to find alternative funding solutions, from positions outside the country to more creative projects.
After completing her PhD, Mafalda Dâmaso was Professor of Culture, Media and Creative Industries at King’s College London for two years.
But the desire to devote himself to research, and the lack of British funding in the cultural sector, led him to apply in 2021 for a position at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.
Despite continuing to live in London, I thought the funding he received in 2022 would be more accessible, especially to Europeans, he told Agência Lusa today on the sidelines of Luso2023, the annual gathering of Portuguese researchers and students. United Kingdom.
Marisa Miraldo, a professor of health economics at Imperial College Business School, says she has seen many colleagues return to their home countries because of the difficulty in accessing European funding.
In his case, he had to cede leadership of the international consortium on the research project to a European partner in order to benefit from funding from the Horizon Europe project.
Inês Sequeira, team leader and professor at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Dentistry, considered leaving the country but decided to stay and seek support from British non-profits.
However, he is already preparing an application for a European Research Council grant with collaborators from Italy, Austria, Germany and Sweden.
After three years of uncertainty created by the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union (EU), an agreement to join the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Framework Program as an associate member was reached last month.
From 2024, British researchers and companies will be able to compete on an equal footing with EU member states for the programme, which has a budget of €95.5 billion between 2021 and 2027.
However, between 2021 and 2023, researchers from British institutions cannot submit direct applications for funding, including Portuguese researchers.
“The impact has been direct and indirect. We are looking forward to implementing it to experience the doors that can be opened,” said Professor Mariana Pinto da Costa of the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience at King’s College London.
Mariana Pinto da Costa, a psychiatrist at the British Public Health System (NHS), revealed that the situation “has led to some creativity in finding partners and funders” and is currently involved in research projects with colleagues in Nigeria and Peru.
“I am not stopping yet. But I hope that the United Kingdom joining the Horizon project will enable greater cooperation, especially with Portugal”, he revealed.
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