PM Rishi Sunak should not go back on his pledge to re-join the EU's science research programme, the President of The Royal Society has warned.

The UK’s R&D sector has reacted with alarm to reports that Rishi Sunak is holding back on rejoining the Horizon Europe R&D programme—after finally agreeing a deal over trade in Northern Ireland with the EU.

Suggestions that Rishi Sunak might hold back on rejoining the Horizon Programme after securing a landmark Brexit deal have been described as “unspeakable idiotic” by campaigner and scientist Mike Galsworthy.

Rishi Sunak is refusing to rush Britain back into the EU's 95.5 billion euros ($101.32 billion) Horizon Europe research programme, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

The political decision to leave the European Union has had the unintended consequence that the UK may not be able to access funding from Horizon Europe, the EU’s highly regarded principal funding programme for research and innovation, and the involvement of UK-based researchers in European research consortia has already been damaged by this.

UK scientists had been shut out of the multibillion-euro scheme amid drawn-out Brexit negotiations.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has publicly confirmed that she is ready to begin talks immediately on an association agreement to allow United Kingdom participation in Horizon Europe, the European Union’s flagship research programme.

EU countries want to ensure the scientific publishing industry is fair and sustainable as it moves towards open access models, according to the first draft of council conclusions.

Recent policy moves in the US and the EU threaten to leave the UK in the dust, Express.co.uk was warned.

Post-Brexit alternatives to European funding for research and innovation must match previous sums. Without this vital cash, our universities will suffer a terrible blow, writes Paul Boyle.

Still no deal as new Science and Tech dept head claims Britain has 'global-facing alternative' in the wings.

Oxford and Cambridge now receive only £1m from European research programmes between them. Previously, the top UK universities received over £130m a year from European research programmes.

Oxford and Cambridge universities, once given more than £130m a year in total by European research programmes, are now getting £1m annually between them.

Success rates are up, UK and Swiss participation down, and Widening countries edge up to the EU 27 average. And on the third anniversary of Brexit, the UK’s five top universities, usually among the biggest winners of EU R&D funding, are feeling the pinch

When the British electorate voted in 2016 to leave the EU, it was already clear that the implications for UK social sciences and humanities researchers were likely to be greater than for other disciplines.

When Boris Johnson agreed the Brexit divorce package with the EU, he promised it would unleash innovation, turning Britain into an agile “science superpower”. But rather than boost UK science and technology, Brexit has – so far – damaged it,

Brexit has certainly not helped UK science and technology and in some ways has damaged it. The UK’s participation in Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation fund, remains uncertain.

With an estimated one million cancer diagnoses missed across Europe in the last two years, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is predicted to set back European cancer outcomes... / The study also finds Brexit will continue to negatively impact European cancer research unless European funders/research community and the UK government/research community find a way for continued collaboration.

The UK's Europe minister called on the European Union to reopen British access to EU scientific programmes on Monday.

UK SCIENTISTS have been told they can no longer take part in meetings organised by a key European infectious diseases agency due to Brexit tensions, it has emerged. / “This is a recognition that Brexit has consequences, and the form of Brexit the UK has chosen has more severe consequences than were necessary."

Some of the brightest scientific minds are leaving the UK, as they lose access to European funding in the wake of Brexit, SkyNews has found.

Talks over the Horizon Europe funding programme have been stalled until other Brexit-related disagreements are resolved.

Scientists have warned the UK’s prominence in the world research field is at risk of “brain drain” after concerns for EU research funding will be dropped post-Brexit.

Research is at risk due to a "significant brain drain" as the industry's brightest talents relocate overseas in the wake of Brexit. / A total of 22 UK-based scientists have now decided to leave Britain rather than lose their EU research funding, as uncertainty continues around the future of Research and Development (R&D) support post-Brexit.

The UK government’s plan to increase R&D spending requires a skilled workforce which its universities and research institutes will struggle to assemble, expert witnesses told the House of Lords’ science and technology committee today. / The subtext is that the UK’s reputation as an international science and technology hub has been damaged by the government’s post-Brexit stance on immigration.