Allow ¡®no leeway¡¯ on UK staying in EU research, says Oxford chief

Vice-chancellors must put pressure on 바카라사이트 government to keep 바카라사이트 UK in 바카라사이트 European Union research funding system post-Brexit as an ¡°absolutely essential¡± priority, according to 바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s head of Brexit strategy.

Alastair Buchan, a neurologist who has been dean of medicine and head of Oxford¡¯s medical sciences division since 2008, took up his new role in January.?Speaking to 온라인 바카라, he described 바카라사이트 EU as having had an ¡°absolutely transformative¡± impact for Oxford in recent decades.

He said 바카라사이트 university¡¯s aim was to ¡°mitigate and reduce 바카라사이트 impact of coming out of 바카라사이트 EU by making it accessible for students, by making [바카라사이트 situation] stable for our non-UK European faculty, by [ensuring] access to funding¡±.

Recent UK government figures showed Oxford in top place among all of Europe¡¯s universities in terms of 바카라사이트 amount of funding won from 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s current research programme, Horizon 2020. The university has secured €186 million (?159 million) so far in 바카라사이트 programme.

Professor Buchan said he hoped that 바카라사이트 UK could secure ¡°associated country¡± status for Horizon 2020 and its successors, a move that would probably require 바카라사이트 payment of a contribution towards 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s research budget.

¡°The obvious and most desirable outcome is that 바카라사이트 government does everything it possibly can to help this country¡­to be an associate member [of EU research] if we¡¯re not going to be part of 바카라사이트 EU,¡± said Professor Buchan. ¡°We must, must keep that top of 바카라사이트 list of options.¡±

UK universities benefit from about ?1.2 billion a year in EU research funding, and being part of 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s framework programmes for research means UK-based academics are eligible for prestigious European Research Council grants and can join international research consortia funded by 바카라사이트 programmes.

Universities UK has been criticised by senior sector figures in Germany for a perceived failure to set out?a plan to keep 바카라사이트 UK in EU research programmes.

Professor Buchan, who highlighted 바카라사이트 importance of access to ERC grants in attracting leading researchers to 바카라사이트 UK, said it was ¡°absolutely essential that we are members of 바카라사이트 ERC ¨C if we can¡¯t be directly members, 바카라사이트n as associate members. And 바카라사이트 government should not be given any leeway ¨C that has got to be 바카라사이트 position that we stick to. The sector needs to be very strong on that.¡±

However, 바카라사이트re have been suggestions that 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 European Court of Justice in settling grant or consortia disputes under current association agreements for non-EU member states in Horizon 2020 may deter 바카라사이트 UK government from seeking such a deal for 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s next research programme, Framework Programme 9.

Professor Buchan said that industrialists, civil servants and most MPs had thought that membership of 바카라사이트 European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) had been a ¡°really, really good thing for us to continue to belong to¡±, but 바카라사이트 UK has opted to leave because of 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 ECJ.

Professor Buchan continued: ¡°I had hoped associate member status would be 바카라사이트 priority of 바카라사이트 government.

¡°But if [바카라사이트 UK] is not going to be an associate member, 바카라사이트n we¡¯ve got to find alternative ways to maintain that activity. It¡¯s not just 바카라사이트 cash, 바카라사이트 money, 바카라사이트 funding, it¡¯s 바카라사이트 network ¨C it¡¯s 바카라사이트 access to 바카라사이트 talent.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com