Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department made a comparative assessment of the potential merits of (a) joining Horizon Europe on the new terms and (b) pursuing the Pioneer research programme.

The Government has negotiated a bespoke deal in the UK’s national interest. The Secretary of State made a statement to the House of Commons on 7 September 2023 and set out why the bespoke deal negotiated by the Government was the best outcome for the UK research and innovation sector.

The Government is grateful to the sector for their feedback during the development of the Pioneer proposals. These plans will now be used to inform future R&D policy development.