Scotland to ‘repair Brexit damage’ with £3 million research fund

Scotland’s devolved government has announced a £3 million fund aimed at repairing research links with the European Union after Brexit.

Unveiling the new Saltire Research Awards on 8 June, Scotland’s higher education minister Jamie Hepburn said that the scheme would help to “reinvigorate and repair vital research partnerships with Europe following the uncertainty caused by Brexit in recent years”.

Researchers based in Scotland and Europe can apply to a new £3 million scheme, which will be delivered by the Scottish Funding Council and Royal Society of Edinburgh. It will be open to all research disciplines including arts, humanities and social sciences and multidisciplinary projects.

“Scotland’s excellence in research and innovation is one of our greatest assets and our international connections are vital to maintaining and extending this,” said Mr Hepburn, who added that “many of our most effective collaborations are with partners in Europe”.

“Scotland’s future continues to firmly include European research collaboration and now is the time to help our researchers grow these important partnerships,” he added.

According to the Holyrood administration, Scotland won about €755 million (£650 million) from Horizon 2020, the predecessor to Horizon Europe, between 2014 and 2020, making it one of the most successful nations per head in the programme during the seven-year framework.

The research scheme would help Scotland’s researchers access funding from Horizon Europe, which has been allocated some €95.5 billion for research and innovation over the next seven years.

After months of negotiation, the UK has agreed to participate in Horizon and will contribute £1.2 billion in 2021-22, the UK government announced last month. That figure is expected to rise to £2 billion annually in subsequent years.

Karen Watt, chief executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said that the latest funding “will help keep those research partnerships [created by Horizon 2020] going and enable us to attract top international research talent.”

Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, interim president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh said that the new awards will “play an important role in supporting research excellence and maintaining Scotland’s reputation as a world leader in research.”

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com