We’ve been here before but it looks like after negotiations that have lasted longer than anyone could have imagined association to Horizon Europe is close. It is not definite until the documents are signed but it is close.

First reported in Bloomberg and now repeated in Reuters and Sky News sources are claiming that association to Horizon is set to go ahead. The latest is that the deal has been approved in principle and that there are only minor details to finalise.

The path to rejoining Horizon Europe was cleared in February with the creation of the Windsor Framework which put in place a series of hybrid EU/NI regulations on the oversight of goods, regulation, and trade. This removed the political sticking point with the European Commission who insisted that association would only be possible when issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol were resolved.

At the time President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that negotiations on association to Horizon could begin immediately. However, it has been widely reported that the Prime Minister has been concerned about the cost of Horizon, and the UK’s late participation in a seven year funding programme.

In July it seemed that association was again close with a reported resolution to how much the UK would contribute to Horizon and how much it would benefit through being part of the scheme. Again, no agreement was immediately signed while funding calls went on and partnerships continued to dwindle. In a session with the Science and Technology Committee Paul Nurse, Director of the Francis Crick Institute and author of the eponymous Nurse Review stated

The almost universal message is that association with Horizon is crucial for the success of UK science and, therefore, the future of our country.

It genuinely seemed for a time that association may not happen and instead the UK would venture out alone into the world with its alternative Pioneer plan.

For the government to have pressed ahead with Horizon some additional financial benefits may have been secured most likely in cost of association if not through the overall returns in participation in the programme.

It is unlikely this will be the last word on Horizon. There are elements around infrastructure investment in Pioneer that should be pursued, the next Horizon cycle is only four short years away, and there is the small issue of universities rebuilding partnerships, redeploying capacity, and renegotiating their internal plans.

Today, might finally be the start of a new research relationship with Europe