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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how he plans to ensure that if the UK makes contributions to European Research Council programmes after leaving the EU, the UK will also be able to influence the design and structure of those programmes in the same manner it currently does.

European Research Council grants are part of the Horizon 2020 programme. This Government wants the UK to be the go-to place for innovators and investors across the world, and we intend to secure the right outcome for the UK research base as we exit the European Union.

As my Rt Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, we would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives. However it is too early to speculate on the UK’s future relationship with specific EU research programmes, including Horizon 2020 and successor programmes.

The Government is committed to ensuring the UK remains a world leader in international research and innovation.