The UK returns to the European Horizon and Copernicus – Economics programmes

The understanding announced on Thursday comes after months of negotiations, allowing British researchers to apply for grants and participate in projects under the Horizonte programme.

Under this agreement, the United Kingdom, as an associate member, must contribute financially to the European Union budget of approximately 2.6 billion euros annually on average.

From 1 January 2024, British researchers and organizations will be able to compete on an equal footing with their counterparts from EU member states. The government claimed access to “the world’s largest research cooperation programme”, Horizon Europe, through a “personal agreement on better financial terms”.

According to London, British taxpayers will not pay for time excluded from the programs since 2021, and an automatic reimbursement mechanism has been set in place if British scientists receive significantly less money than the UK puts into the programme.

The UK's participation in the Horizon program was negotiated in 2020, but London has complained of ongoing delays due to disagreements over post-Brexit trade arrangements in Northern Ireland.

The European Commission stressed that “this mutually agreed solution follows in-depth discussions between the EU and the UK and will be beneficial to both.”

“The European Union and the United Kingdom are strategic partners and key allies, and today's agreement makes that clear. We will continue to be at the forefront of global research and innovation,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

This political agreement will need to be approved by the European Council before being formally adopted by the Joint EU-UK Specialized Committee on Participation in EU Programmes.

In addition to Horizon, the UK will also be a participating member of the Copernicus programme, a European Earth observation programme, which provides information from satellites and other sources for future weather forecasts.