Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate the Government has made of the extra cost the UK would incur to buy back into EU-UK wide science and research programmes.

Under the terms of the draft Withdrawal Agreement, UK entities' right to participate in EU science and research funding programmes during the current Multiannual Financial Framework period will be unaffected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU for the lifetime of projects financed by the current MFF. No further agreement would be needed for the UK to participate in these programmes in this period.

The next generation of science and research programmes will begin in 2021. The Government’s proposals published in July 2018 set out that as part of an ambitious science and innovation accord the UK would like to explore association to future EU research funding programmes, including but not limited to Horizon Europe and Euratom R&T. Any such an association would necessarily involve an appropriate UK financial contribution. However, the terms of any such association would be a matter for the negotiations and the Government will negotiate on the basis of what is in the best interests of British citizens and the UK economy and scientific community.