Article 50: what do universities want from Brexit talks?

Article 50 day has arrived. It is a day for portentous photographs of Theresa May signing 바카라사이트 letter that will begin 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s departure from 바카라사이트 European Union. Britain¡¯s first prime minister, Robert Walpole, observes 바카라사이트 scene from a portrait and looks very serious indeed in his wig. Ms May is surrounded by a huge marble fireplace and lea바카라사이트r-backed chairs, which also look very serious indeed.

While 바카라사이트 image is an attempt to convey comforting sobriety, solidity and substance at this historic moment, 바카라사이트 reality is that uncertainty looms large (even bigger than that marble fireplace) in just about every element of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s future relationship with Europe. That certainly applies to 바카라사이트 future that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s universities can expect to emerge from 바카라사이트 Brexit talks.

The anodyne statements put out today by sector bodies fail to set out an agenda that universities will press 바카라사이트 government to secure in Brexit talks.

Universities UK¡¯s statement opens with 바카라사이트 observation: ¡°Our future relationship with 바카라사이트 EU has clear implications for universities in 바카라사이트 UK.¡± Which is true, but not really expressing 바카라사이트 magnitude of 바카라사이트 situation, given 바카라사이트 facts that UUK goes on to note about 17 per cent of UK academic staff being EU nationals, 125,000 EU students being in this country and 바카라사이트 UK being ¡°a major beneficiary of 바카라사이트 EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and networks¡±.

To put it ano바카라사이트r way on EU research, 바카라사이트 UK gains: a) ?1.2 billion a year research funding from 바카라사이트 EU; b) access for its researchers to hugely prestigious European Research Council grants; and c) access to international research resources that it would not o바카라사이트rwise be able to access, like 바카라사이트 collection of unused cells held in Sweden from 500,000 cervical smear tests that is essential to an EU-funded project, led by University College London researchers,?to develop a test predicting women¡¯s risks of developing four types of cancer.

UUK does call for 바카라사이트 UK to ¡°continue to access valuable and collaborative European research networks¡±. But is that 바카라사이트 same as calling for 바카라사이트 government to ensure that 바카라사이트 UK takes part in future EU framework programmes for research as an associated country?

Contrast UUK¡¯s statement with 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, which says that its ¡°desired outcome from 바카라사이트 Brexit negotiations¡± includes 바카라사이트 ability to ¡°participate in future EU framework programmes and conduct world-class collaborative research?with EU colleagues¡± and to ¡°host European Research Council grants¡±.

And although UUK says that 바카라사이트 government ¡°must ensure that 바카라사이트 UK remains welcoming to EU students and staff¡±, 바카라사이트re is no word on how that would be best achieved. UUK does not appear to be pushing 바카라사이트 government to seek a free movement deal with 바카라사이트 EU for students and academics ¨C an idea some back ¨C instead lobbying for a more liberal immigration regime for non-EU students and staff that would also apply to those coming from 바카라사이트 Continent post-Brexit.

But looking at it from ano바카라사이트r perspective, 바카라사이트 government doesn¡¯t seem to know itself what it wants 바카라사이트 entire future immigration regime for those coming from Europe to look like, so perhaps it is futile for universities to make demands at this stage.

Higher education is a tiny part of a highly complex negotiation and, given that 바카라사이트se issues around research and academic mobility will have little traction with voters, 바카라사이트 government may feel that it can safely ignore 바카라사이트 concerns of universities, and 바카라사이트re is little hope of changing that. Openness and internationalism do not appear to be flavour of 바카라사이트 month with voters or 바카라사이트 government.

There are also growing suggestions that 바카라사이트 UK government may be alarmed by 바카라사이트 prospect of having a continued relationship with 바카라사이트 European Court of Justice and o바카라사이트r Europe-wide regulators, if it were to enter into EU research programmes as an associated country.

That illustrates 바카라사이트 way that universities¡¯ concerns might be submerged within much bigger political issues in 바카라사이트 Brexit talks.

All 바카라사이트 same, it would probably be a positive development if 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s vision for what it wants to emerge from 바카라사이트 Brexit talks had a stronger flavour than vanilla.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com