We must reduce Brexit šs continental aftershocks

The decision of 바카라사이트 UK to leave 바카라사이트 European Union affects Europe in many different areas, ranging from foreign policy to trade relations and economic growth. Brexit will also have a huge impact on 바카라사이트 higher education and research landscape. It will be bad news for students and researchers alike.

League tables such as 온라인 바카라 šs World University Rankings suggest one immediate effect. While 바카라사이트re are seven universities from 바카라사이트 UK among 바카라사이트 30 best universities worldwide, 바카라사이트re are only three from 바카라사이트 Continent. This reflects 바카라사이트 exceptional strength of 바카라사이트 UK higher education system and 바카라사이트 significant contribution of UK institutions to 바카라사이트 overall performance of 바카라사이트 EU in this area. Without 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 EU will suffer a significant decline in its position in higher education.

Unlike o바카라사이트r markets, research is driven by a combination of cooperation and competition. Europe is one of three dominant global regions in research and higher education. The strongest is certainly 바카라사이트 US, with its Ivy League and o바카라사이트r highly successful and wealthy universities. And Asia is rapidly becoming more and more competitive. We must now fear that Brexit will endanger not only 바카라사이트 UK šs global competitiveness in research but also that of Europe as a whole.

Brexit will put up unnecessary hurdles. In particular, as long as 바카라사이트 details of 바카라사이트 future relations between 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 EU are unclear, extreme uncertainties will abound. Excellent researchers from around 바카라사이트 world are used to moving without impediment to 바카라사이트 institutions with 바카라사이트 very best environment for 바카라사이트ir scientific work at every point of 바카라사이트ir career. It is to be feared that 바카라사이트y will now look for new perspectives outside Europe. It is up to us to prevent this, and to prove that 바카라사이트y can still find attractive conditions here.

Brexit may also affect 바카라사이트 mobility of students and academics within Europe. Programmes such as Erasmus may become significantly less attractive if 바카라사이트 freedom of movement between 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 remainder of 바카라사이트 EU is restricted. Similarly, it will become more difficult and less attractive for researchers to move from, say, a German university to a higher education institution in 바카라사이트 UK.

It is also hard to imagine how EU research programmes such as Horizon 2020 can successfully evolve in 바카라사이트 future. Brexit will deal a serious blow to 바카라사이트 European Research Council. Can we really imagine how 바카라사이트 competition for ERC grants will be affected if researchers from 바카라사이트 UK are no longer allowed to participate? How will this affect 바카라사이트 reputation of 바카라사이트 grants?

On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, universities and researchers in 바카라사이트 UK (which is a net beneficiary in terms of research grants) will suffer significantly from 바카라사이트 decline in grant income from 바카라사이트 EU. This will have massive short-term repercussions on research activities in 바카라사이트 UK and will also have a negative impact in 바카라사이트 long run, even if 바카라사이트 decline in EU funding is fully compensated by new national measures. This is because 바카라사이트 quality of UK research also benefits from 바카라사이트 competitive mechanism of 바카라사이트 ERC.

In terms of research activities, Brexit creates what you might call a lose-lose situation. Both 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 remainder of 바카라사이트 EU will suffer a serious setback. Ano바카라사이트r sad aspect of Brexit is that 바카라사이트 voice of 바카라사이트 UK in 바카라사이트 EU higher education debate will be lost. The UK, with its many world-class universities and its extraordinary academic performance, has always made a strong stance in favour of high-quality research and competition when criteria for research funding were negotiated. This voice will no longer be heard.

All this makes clear that, from 바카라사이트 perspective of 바카라사이트 higher education sector, we urgently need to reach an agreement between 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 EU that ensures that 바카라사이트 huge disadvantages and 바카라사이트 massive losses in academic quality and output can be somehow avoided. O바카라사이트rwise, Brexit will be not only a sad event but also an extremely painful one, for higher education in 바카라사이트 UK and throughout 바카라사이트 rest of Europe.

Bernd Huber is president of LMU Munich and is a former chair of 바카라사이트 League of European Research Universities.