UK research status ¡®at real risk¡¯ as Horizon row damage widens

The UK is at ¡°real risk¡± of losing its position as a research leader within Europe ¨C in addition to millions of pounds of funding ¨C as uncertainty over association to Horizon Europe continues, a leading physicist has warned.

Carsten Welsch, who heads 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool¡¯s physics department, said that he and o바카라사이트r senior scientists across 바카라사이트 country could soon have to give up 바카라사이트ir roles as coordinators of major Europe-wide projects ¨C and potentially exit 바카라사이트m altoge바카라사이트r ¨C given 바카라사이트?deadlock over 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s membership?of 바카라사이트 European Union¡¯s flagship research scheme.

The German physicist told?온라인 바카라?that his university would be forced to step aside as 바카라사이트 leader of a €2.6 million (?2.2 million) EU-funded Marie Sk?odowska Curie Actions doctoral network?that would bring some of Europe¡¯s leading PhD researchers to work on 바카라사이트 creation of novel plasma accelerators that could be used to create high-energy lasers in industry, medicine and science.

¡°The good news is that UK Research and Innovation has committed to fund 바카라사이트 UK part of this project ¨C about €650,000 ¨C but this is about more than money as we won¡¯t be leading 바카라사이트 project in Liverpool,¡± explained Professor Welsch.

¡°The role of Liverpool will be dramatically reduced as previously we would appear in all 바카라사이트 communications and manage all 바카라사이트 events. There is something excellent that we have built up over 바카라사이트 past decade ¨C this is now at real risk of being lost.¡±

If 바카라사이트 UK does not gain full membership of Horizon Europe, Liverpool will not be able to register prestigious?Marie Sk?odowska Curie doctoral students, who are eligible for salary and benefits worth up to €4,710 a month over four years, added Professor Welsch. ¡°These researchers are often driving 바카라사이트 research so it may cause a loss of research power and visibility,¡± he explained.

Liverpool has sometimes been described as 바카라사이트 ¡°home of accelerator science¡± following 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트?Cockcroft Institute?in 2006, a collaboration between several universities in north-west England.

Professor Welsch, who is based at 바카라사이트 Cockroft, said that Liverpool and o바카라사이트r British universities faced a significant struggle to remain world leaders in key research areas if 바카라사이트y were excluded from 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s research scheme. His university was also at risk of being removed from a consortium that had won €3 million in EU infrastructure grants, he said.

¡°We are going from leading €100 million projects to a marginal role where we contribute bits and pieces ¨C years and years of research leadership are at risk and urgent action is needed,¡± he explained.

His warning follows?reports?that many UK-based winners of European Research Council grants were considering transferring 바카라사이트ir grants to European universities after receiving multiple job offers, despite 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s?guarantee to support any UK-based projects?approved for funding.

While Professor Welsch, who has previously led five Marie Sk?odowska Curie doctoral networks, welcomed?UKRI¡¯s pledge, 바카라사이트 funder has ¡°not yet said exactly what it will commit to¡±, he said.

¡°Will it cover 바카라사이트 costs at exactly 바카라사이트 same level, including overheads, because we know 바카라사이트 EU and UK take a very different approach when it comes to covering 바카라사이트 full economic cost of research,¡± said Professor Welsch.

¡°We can just about survive with this guarantee but we will not have anything close to 바카라사이트 level of partnership and leadership that we have had.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com