Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his timetable is for the implementation of the alternative UK programme to Horizon Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Our preference remains association to EU programmes and we continue to do everything we can to secure this, however we cannot wait indefinitely; the EU’s delays are creating significant uncertainty for our R&D communities. The Government’s priority remains to support the UK’s research and development sector through this period which is why the Government has already put in place a guarantee for eligible, successful UK applicants to Horizon Europe which we recently extended to cover all calls closing on or before 31 December 2022.

On 20 July 2022, the Department set out detail on plans for transitional measures that would be implemented if association is no longer possible. The document made clear that a comprehensive package of transitional measures could be launched immediately, if needed, and would aim to provide stability and continuity of funding for UK researchers and businesses. These transitional measures would remain in place as long as it is needed to establish the long-term programme.