A recent report from the BBC says Britain’s science sector has done well out of the EU in recent years, receiving 8.8 billion euros in research funding in the period 2007-2013 compared with the 5.4 billion euros it paid in.

Moreover, UK-based scientists have won about a fifth of all the grants, in terms of value, from the top-tier programmes run by the European Research Council.

The report says that to maintain access to the EU stream, Britain will probably have to get itself some kind of “associated country” status, similar to other non-EU countries such as Norway, Switzerland and Israel. These pay to “join the club”, after which, in principle, their scientists can bid for support in the same way as those from full EU member states.

Lee Upcraft, a spokesman for Scientists for Britain (a group that lobbied for Brexit), says the UK can survive and thrive outside full union membership, adding that he was confident a new settlement would be found to maintain UK involvement in EU programmes and, by extension, the country’s world-leading position in European and global science.


He also echoed a recent complaint from Stephen Hawking, that “we’ve become reliant on EU funding. We get back a little more than we put in, and associated status will need to address this.

“The other thing we need to do, and what UK academia needs to do, is get much better at lobbying Government.”

He also told BBC News that EU funding had masked a stagnation in national support.

Meanwhile, Sarah Main from the Campaign for Science and Engineering, a ‘neutral’ organisation, said there would inevitably be a big uncertainty factor going forward.

“You have to remember that every associated country that people have quoted in the arguments up till now, none was previously a member of the EU that then exited.

“Gaining associated status won’t necessarily be straightforward, but it would be welcome because we do want to compete in EU competitive funding streams.”