With the news of an agreement between the UK and EU on Horizon Europe association, Ed Hughes, the CEO of the Council of Deans of Health, said:
“The agreement on association with the Horizon Europe programme is great news for our members. This has the potential to further boost their already significant contribution to healthcare research in the UK and internationally.
Rebuilding valued research and innovation partnerships across Europe can only benefit the UK. Association provides the opportunity to influence the future shape of the largest multi-national research initiative, and for researchers in the UK to once again be able to lead important projects advancing knowledge in healthcare.
Horizon Europe projects bring many advantages; enabling researchers to work with a wide range of organisations, contribute to communities which build critical mass beyond what a single country may possess, and undertake comparative research across different systems and populations. It’s great that UK researchers can again participate in programmes which will advance research and innovation in the UK and across Europe.
The return of UK-based researchers to multi-disciplinary consortia from across Europe, and beyond, is a welcome step forward to addressing many of the healthcare challenges we all face. We now need a concerted effort across the research system to encourage healthcare research engagement in future calls to maximise the benefits of Association to Horizon Europe. We are grateful to the Government and European Union for striking an agreement that is in all of our interests.”