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Post Brexit Environment and UK Association

The UK officially left the EU on 1 January 2021, following signature of the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement (Brexit deal). This agreement sets out the terms of the future EU and UK relationship, including the terms for UK Association to Horizon Europe.

Horizon 2020 projects

Although Horizon 2020 has ended, some projects funded in its lifetime could continue up to 2025-26. It is therefore important to note that Brexit will not affect the funding of UK partners in live H2020 projects. The UK remained a Member State up to the end of 2020, thus all UK partners in live projects will receive funding as normal for the full duration of their project.

*UPDATE* Horizon Europe – UK becomes an Associated Country

As of Thursday 7th September 2023, an agreement in principle has been made to associate to Horizon Europe. This hopefully marks the end to the uncertainty around eligibility to EU Funding streams.

Association means that UK researchers will now be able to participate in Horizon Europe on the same terms as Member States. Key details to note include:

  • Association will be effective from the 2024 Work Programmes (WP) onwards. Note that the call year runs from September to August, so this is not just calls in 2024! The first deadline where funding will come from the EC will be the ERC Starting Grant on 24th October 2023.
  • The UK can Coordinate (be lead partner) on Horizon Europe projects in all future calls from the 2024 WP onwards.
  • Proposals submitted under any call from the 2023 WP will be evaluated in the normal way by the European Commission, but UK participation will still be funded through the UKRI Guarantee fund. This fund has now been extended to cover all 2023 calls.
  • The UK is part of Copernicus but has not signed up to EURATOM. Instead, the UK will pursue a domestic fusion energy strategy. This will include collaboration with European partners supported by £650m up to 2027.

The main concern from the Government is that levels of engagement will not return to the pre-Brexit volume. This is something that the EU Team aims to address for The University of Leeds, as demonstrating high levels of interest means we can avoid similar association issues to the successor Framework Programme.

We will be doing various promotional and information events, starting with an EU Relaunch reception. Details and registration will also appear on our Events Page.

A summary of the situation will soon be uploaded in the UK Association presentation and slides section of our Events page.

For further information on UK association and UKRI Guarantee Fund, please consult our evolving FAQs below.

FAQs - UK Association and UKRI Guarantee Fund

What schemes does Association cover?

The UK can now apply to all schemes under Horizon Europe Work Programmes from 2024 onwards as if we were a Member State. Funding will now come from the EC rather than the UKRI Guarantee Fund.

How do I tell what Work Programme my project is funded under?

Look at the Call Identifier of the application in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. The year in this refers to the Work Programme. The Call Deadline date is not indicative as some calls start from September the previous year.

Can I Coordinate a proposal now?

Yes, the UK can now be a Coordinator (lead partner) on Horizon Europe proposals from the 2024 WP onwards (unless the call specifically targets specific areas as Coordinator, e.g. the WIDENING call).

Does the UK now count towards the minimum eligibility criteria?

Yes from the 2024 WP. The eligibility rule of at least 3 partners from 3 different Member States or Associated Countries includes the UK from the 2024 WP.

Has the UKRI Guarantee Fund been closed?

No - projects awarded from any calls from the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Work Programmes will still have the UK component funded through UKRI.

I am currently funded through the Guarantee Fund. Will my project now be funded by the EC?

No, the Guarantee Fund will cover the costs of your project for the full duration. Only calls under the 2024 WP onwards will be funded directly by the EC.

I had to give up Coordination because of UK non-Association. Can I now become the Coordinator?

Unfortunately not. All projects funded from the 2021, 2022 and 2023 WPs will be funded through the UKRI Guarantee Fund for their full duration.

My European partners are still wary of including me in their proposal. What can I do?

We have a Partner Information Sheet that may help. Please also let us know so we can gauge the mood across Europe and tailor our communications accordingly.

How long is the UK Associated for?

We are associated for the duration of Horizon Europe, i.e. up to 2027. Association will have to be renegotiated separately for the successor programme.

Will that be as long and protracted as with Horizon Europe?

We can only hope not...

What does this mean for my Horizon Europe application/project?

This depends on the current stage of your application/project:

Applications in development for 2023 Work Programme calls

  • UK applicants are eligible to apply for all 2023 Work Programme Horizon Europe calls
  • UK applicants must still be added as a beneficiary to all applications (not as an Associated Partner), with an assigned budget in the application. This is essential for us to be able to claim from the UKRI Guarantee Fund if the application is successful
  • The European Commission will continue to administer transitional arrangements for the 2023 Work Programme, and UK applicants will still be treated as if the UK is an associated country throughout the process, from admissibility and eligibility to evaluation, up until the preparation of grant agreements
  • If your application is successful, we will provide further details to you (and the coordinator as required) on the process of applying for the UKRI Guarantee Scheme, and our team will provide full support during the grant preparation and application to the UKRI Guarantee Scheme

Applications in development for 2024 Work Programme calls

  • UK applicants are eligible to apply for all 2024 Work Programme Horizon Europe calls and are eligible to be coordinator
  • UK applicants must be added as a beneficiary to all applications
  • Our budget should be added to the application as normal and included in the budget table
  • If the application is successful, we will be able to participate as a beneficiary (i.e. receive funding from the European Commission) once the association agreement is signed (expected to be in effect from 1st January 2024)

Projects currently undergoing grant preparation (2021, 2022 or 2023 Work Programme)

  • UK participants will receive their funding from the UKRI Guarantee Scheme
  • We will still be able to do the work as originally planned in the application, including leading any tasks or work packages
  • If the coordinator contacts you about the UK’s status, please forward this onto the EU Team so we can advise (either the team member who has been dealing with the grant preparation with you, or eufunding@leeds.ac.uk)
  • Our team will set up the UKRI guarantee fund application and we will provide details of this process to you
  • For those who are already in the process of applying for the UKRI guarantee, we will continue with the process and there are no changes required to the grant as a result of the announcement.

Applications recently submitted to a 2023 Work Programme call

  • UK participants will receive their funding from the UKRI Guarantee Scheme
  • The European Commission will continue to administer transitional arrangements for the 2023 Work Programme, and UK applicants will still be treated as if the UK is an associated country throughout the process, from admissibility and eligibility to evaluation, up until the preparation of grant agreements
  • If your application is successful, we will provide further details to you (and the coordinator as required) on the process for applying for the UKRI Guarantee Scheme, and our team will provide full support during the grant preparation and application to the UKRI Guarantee Scheme

For information about the EU Framework programme, please consult our Horizon Europe page.

UK Government 'Plan B' - Pioneer

Aspects of this may be used in national funding but the scheme itself has now been abandoned.

UK Participation in other EU Funding Programmes

Copernicus

The UK can now participate in Copernicus as a third-country participant. This means that UK entities will have the same rights as EU entities to bid for EU Copernicus contracts and join consortia bids (with some limited exceptions). UK partners can start to form consortia, more information on contract eligibility will follow shortly, pending UK Government discussions with the European Space Agency.

Draft Protocol I of the Joint Declaration on Participation in Union Programmes states that the UK may also participate in:

  • Joint Research Centre (JRC) activities
  • European Partnerships in the form of Article 185 and 187 (Joint Programming)
  • The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
  • European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERICs)
  • European Research Area Committee (ERAC)

Turing scheme replaces Erasmus +

The UK no longer participates in the Erasmus+ programme (2021-2027). As a replacement scheme, the UK Government has set up the new Turing scheme. This scheme is managed by the International Office and further details can be found here.

Useful Links

You may find the following resources helpful: