UK Government Extends Financial Guarantee for Horizon Europe Applicants

The UK Government has announced an extension to the support provided to Horizon Europe applicants first launched in November 2021. This ensures that eligible successful UK applicants for grant awards will continue to be guaranteed funding as negotiations with the European Union continue.

In an open letter to the UK research and development (R&D) sector, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, George Freeman, acknowledged that delays to formalising the UK’s association to Horizon Europe have led to uncertainty for researchers, businesses and innovators based in the UK, and jeopardised important research collaborations with European partners. Freeman also reiterated that the UK government’s position remains to associate to Horizon Europe, Copernicus and Euratom.

The extended guarantee will cover all eligible, current applications to calls where researchers expect to sign grant agreements by the end of December 2022 while efforts continue to associate to Horizon Europe, as previously agreed under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) last year.

Funding will continue to be delivered through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and is intended to protect UK researchers and to provide continuity and stability for the UK sector whilst a longer-term alternative international research programme is put in place.