PRESS RELEASE : Horizon Europe Guarantee scheme newly extended to support UK R&D [June 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 8 June 2023.
The government has announced an extension to the support provided to UK Horizon Europe applicants until the end of September 2023.
- Government extends Horizon Europe Guarantee scheme to end of September 2023, continuing to protect funding for UK researchers, businesses, and innovators
- UKRI has issued grants worth over £1 billion since the scheme was originally launched in November 2021
- our priority is to give the UK’s R&D sector the maximum level of support to continue their ground-breaking research and collaboration with international partners
The support provided to UK Horizon Europe applicants has been extended for a further three months. Originally launched in November 2021, UKRI has issued over 2,000 grant offers worth £1.05 billion to the end of April 2023. The extension will ensure that eligible, successful UK applicants will continue to be guaranteed funding, supporting them to continue their important work in research and innovation.
The guarantee will be in place to cover all Horizon Europe calls that close on or before 30 September 2023. Eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe will receive the full value of their funding at their UK host institution for the lifetime of their grant.
Science and Technology Secretary Chloe Smith said:
This extension offers certainty to our world-class researchers that they will receive the support they need to continue their ground-breaking work, building on the over £1 billion in support awarded so far, while negotiations over association to Horizon Europe remain ongoing.
Successful awardees do not need to leave the UK to receive this funding, which will provide reassurance for future collaborations, and support UK researchers whether association is confirmed, or otherwise.
The government remains in discussion on the UK’s involvement in EU research programmes and hopes that negotiations on Horizon Europe will be successful, as that is our preference. However, our participation must be fair for UK researchers, businesses and taxpayers and reflect the lasting impact of two years of EU delays to the UK’s association. We will continue to engage with representatives across the business, research and innovation sector as these discussions progress.
Our priority is to ensure the UK’s R&D sector gets the maximum level of support to allow them to continue their ground-breaking research and collaboration with international partners, and the extension of the guarantee provides certainty for researchers while negotiations continue.
Details regarding the scope and terms of the extension are available on the UKRI website.
