UK Science Gets a Boost With Rejoining of Horizon Europe: What Comes Next?

Could the UK’s re-joining of Horizon Europe, the EU’s EUR 95 billion research funding programme, be the latest sign that the country is ready to win back its global scientific relevance? The announcement comes just months after an ambitious government plan to “cement” the UK’s position as a science superpower, but also after the pharma industry raised protests against “punitive” paybacks. One vote of confidence has come from Big Pharma in the form of Merck’s GBP 1 billion research centre in London.

Research and clinical development is not a matter for nation states but for the whole world, and international collaborations are vital to move things forward

Kristian Helin, Institute of Cancer Research

Science Reboot

Post-Brexit disagreements have left UK scientists out of Horizon Europe, the flagship EU research programme and the largest collaborative research project in the world, since 2020. The exclusion was especially disheartening when combined with reports that Britain was steadily losing scientific competitiveness due to a lack of investment.

According to a 2022 report from the Institute for Public Policy Research, the UK’s share of global R&D investments shrunk from 4.2 percent in 2014 to 3.4 percent in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Ranking 11th in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for total R&D investment as a percentage of GDP, the UK was found to be lagging behind not only global leaders like the US, but also mid-sized European nations like Austria and Switzerland.

Earlier this year, the UK government took steps to “cement” the UK’s position as a science superpower, introducing the Life Sci for Growth package with ten different funding-backed points including GBP 121 million to improve commercial clinical trials, up to GBP 48 million to prepare for future health emergencies, GBP 154 million to increase the capacity of the UK’s biological data, and up to GBP 250 million to incentivise pension schemes to invest in sciences and tech firms.

Yet the British research community continued to view re-joining Horizon Europe as a vital component of re-establishing the UK’s scientific status. “All other [international research] arrangements will be utterly inadequate in comparison. We should extend international cooperation, but Horizon Europe has to be the priority,” said Nobel prize winner and director of the Francis Crick Institute, Sir Paul Nurse at the time when the plan was announced.

“It is important that government urgently secures full UK participation to the [Horizon Europe] programme as a key step to delivering on [its] commitment to provide long term stability to the sector,” said Anne Johnson, president of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

UK-EU Collaboration

UK innovation and research depends on international collaborations which are crucial for driving advancements in all areas of science, including the discovery and early development of new medicines and vaccines

Janet Valentine, ABPI

The demand seems to have been heard and after a long negotiation process, the European Commission and the UK Government have reached an agreement. As of the beginning of next year, the UK will once again become a Horizon Europe-associated country, paying EUR 2.6 billion per year for access. The scientific community welcomed the new tie with Europe with enthusiasm. “It couldn’t be better news,” says Daniel Rathbone, deputy executive director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, a non-profit organisation that advocates for science and engineering in the UK.

What makes being a part of the Horizon Europe club so desirable is that not only can individual researchers access funds, but the initiative also promotes cross-border scientific consortia across the EU and with certain “associated” non-EU countries. Member countries pay into Horizon Europe in return for the chance to win grants and join these international collaborations. “Research and clinical development is not a matter for nation-states but for the whole world, and international collaborations are vital to move things forward,” said Kristian Helin of the Institute of Cancer Research in London, as reported by The Lancet Oncology.

The lack of collaboration between the UK and Europe has led talented scientists to look elsewhere. Cancer Research UK released the findings of a survey it carried out among 84 cancer researchers in August in which three-quarters of the respondents said the post-Brexit relationship between the EU and the UK had made it difficult to recruit and retain staff. “It is absolutely fantastic news and will make the UK much more attractive for international researchers,” commented Martin Smith, of the Wellcome Trust, a charitable foundation focused on health research.

The pharma industry has also applauded the agreement. “UK innovation and research depends on international collaborations which are crucial for driving advancements in all areas of science, including the discovery and early development of new medicines and vaccines,” said Janet Valentine, executive director of Innovation and Research Policy Association at the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), the organisation that represents the interests of pharma companies in the UK.

Many also see Horizon Europe membership as fundamental to regaining the UK’s scientific clout. “This is an essential step in re-building and strengthening our global scientific standing,” said Nurse in reaction to the news.

Pharma: Stick or Twist?

While the UK’s renewed participation in Horizon Europe may help to restore the UK’s global scientific leadership, other recent policies, particularly the so-called voluntary scheme for branded medicines, pricing, and access (VPAS), have been pinpointed by the pharma industry as detriments.

Under the VPAS companies were set to limit total National Health Service (NHS) drug costs to a two percent yearly increase, and to pay back revenues above that. For the first three years, they paid back 5 to 10 percent, but the clawback rate then rose to 15 percent in 2022 and soared to 26.5 percent in 2023. AbbVie and Eli Lilly withdrew from the voluntary scheme while Bristol Myers Squibb claimed that as a result of a system it called “punitive,” it would limit its UK footprint.

Merck however has given the UK a vote of confidence, investing GBP 1 billion in research centre in London, but there are strings attached. The company has called on the UK government to address certain challenges facing the industry, including conflict over drug prices and obstacles to running clinical trials within the National Health Service (NHS).