UK researchers ‘back in the game’ for Horizon Europe funding

Researchers based in UK academia are “performing very well” in applying for Horizon Europe grants, but re-establishing submission volumes from the business sector is proving more difficult, UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI’s) international champion has said.

With the UK outside the European Union’s flagship €95 billion (£80 billion) research scheme for almost four years prior to rejoining in January 2024, there were concerns that the country’s researchers would find it difficult to submit as many funding bids as they did before Brexit, given the likely loss of grant application expertise or research excellence, as well as the fracturing of institutional networks since 2020.

But Christopher Smith, UKRI’s international lead, told Times Higher Education that university-based researchers are “performing very well” in applying for grants from Horizon’s European Research Council (ERC), which is allocating some €25 billion between 2021 and 2027.

“For the university sector, the statistics are not as easy to get as you might expect, but my understanding is – for the ERC, where we have always overperformed [in winning grants] – we are back in the game…and performing really well.”

However, Professor Smith, who is also executive chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, added that it was proving more difficult to re-establish application levels to Horizon’s Pillar 2, which disburses about €54 billion for projects related to innovation and global challenges but usually requires academics to work with industry.

“Pillar 2 is where we are working hard. Leadership of consortia did fall away, and it’s been a challenge for the business community to work the shifts and changes [in policy] because there isn’t the same unity that the university sector has,” he explained.

“The cartography [of grant applications] has changed, and we’re continuing to adapt,” said Professor Smith.

The university sector’s encouraging application figures are explained in part by the Horizon Europe Guarantee provided by UKRI, which enabled researchers to continue applying for Horizon project funding throughout the UK’s absence from the programme.

Overall, some 4,000 Horizon grants (from about 26,500 applications) have been funded directly by the UK government to the tune of £2 billion, UKRI announced on 4 September.

Of these, some 175 grants were worth more than £2 million – with the largest providing about £12 million of funding.

Remaining part of the Horizon architecture was important because the UK “did not lose the muscle memory of applying for and winning European funding”, said Professor Smith.

“The Horizon Europe Guarantee has been crucial in enabling our researchers to continue their work in collaboration with international partners, ensuring that the UK fosters strong relationships with our European counterparts,” continued Professor Smith, who thanked EU-based peer reviewers for scrutinising UK-based bids at no additional cost despite Britain’s exit from Horizon.

“It was a really substantial commitment from colleagues and administrators across Europe,” he said of the work by Horizon peer review panels during the UK’s absence from the scheme.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com