The Treasury has taken back £1.6bn that it had allocated for the UK's involvement in the European Union's research programme, Horizon Europe, or domestic alternatives.
The move was revealed on page 300 of the Central Government supply estimates 2022/23, as reported by the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE). However, the decision has not been communicated to the research community or media in any other medium.
The UK’s associate membership of the €95bn (£81bn) Horizon Europe programme was foreseen in the 2020 Brexit agreement. However, the EU has been delaying the UK’s membership due to the dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
During his election campaign the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, vowed to develop a £15bn UK research funding programme to rival Horizon, pledging to make the country a “science superpower”.
Last week, the UK's science and technology minister, Michelle Donelan, said she is prepared to snub Horizon and create...