(Bloomberg) — The UK has begun talks on a scientific cooperation deal with Japan it hopes to sign in May, Science and Technology Minister George Freeman said, as the country remains blocked from the EU’s key research funding program post-Brexit.
Most Read from Bloomberg
“We’re continuing to push to be in Horizon — that remains our very strong preference,” Freeman told Bloomberg News late Wednesday during a visit to Tokyo.
The UK has been locked out from Horizon, the world’s largest research club, amid a dispute over former prime minister Boris Johnson’s threats to tear up the Northern Ireland protocol. The conflict has dismayed scientists in the UK, although the government has released some of the funding earmarked for Horizon to support research.
“But if we can’t play in the European Cup of science, then we want to play in the World Cup,” he said. In Tokyo he also announced the UK’s new International Science Partnerships Fund to deepen scientific collaboration between the UK and other countries boasting advanced research. The project has an initial £119 million of funding.
Freeman has already signed a memorandum of understanding on science with Switzerland, also blocked from Horizon, and is working on a similar deal with Israel, he said. Talks with Japan could lead to an agreement being signed at the Group of Seven Science Ministers’ meeting, scheduled to be held in Japan in May, he added. Other countries will be added to the agenda next year, Freeman said.
UK, EU Seek to Clinch Northern Ireland Brexit Deal by February
Freeman said he believed chances the UK would gain access to Horizon were improving, after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak established better ties with French President Emmanuel Macron, and amid criticism of the situation from EU member states.
European Union and British officials are seeking to overcome their differences and reach a deal over Northern Ireland by February, according to people familiar with the matter.
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
