The Ninth EU Framework Programme (FP9): UK position paper
The UK position paper on the Ninth EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP9).
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This document sets out the UK government’s reflections on the Ninth EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP9).
The Prime Minister said in her Florence speech (22 September 2017) that following our departure from the EU we will want to continue working together in ways that promote the long-term economic development of our continent. This includes continuing to take part in those specific policies and programmes which are greatly to the UK and the EU’s joint advantage, such as those that promote science. She reiterated this message on 2 March 2018 in her speech at Mansion House, saying that the UK is committed to establishing a far reaching science and innovation pact with the EU which would enable the UK to continue to participate in key programmes alongside our EU partners.
In September 2017 the government published Collaboration on science and innovation: a future partnership paper, which outlines the UK’s objectives for an ambitious science and innovation agreement with the EU, and sets out examples of where the UK sees potential mutual benefit in a close working relationship.
The EU’s framework programmes for research and innovation are one such example. The current framework programme, Horizon 2020, is the largest to date, with nearly €80 billion of funding available over seven years (2014 to 2020). A number of non-EU countries currently participate in Horizon 2020 either with associated country status or with automatic third country status, and all third countries without formal associate status can participate in specific parts of the programme, with some restrictions, usually by funding their own participation.
The terms of potential UK participation in future framework programmes, including the Ninth Framework Programme beginning in 2021, would need to be negotiated with the EU and its Member States, recognising the mutual benefits from past collaboration.
It is in the interests of all European citizens that FP9 should build upon the achievements of earlier Framework Programmes in strengthening Europe’s science base, supporting ground-breaking innovation and tackling the challenges that are too large for any single country to handle alone. As the European Commission and EU Member States begin work to develop the Ninth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, this paper sets out the UK government’s position on how the programme can provide the greatest social and economic benefits for European citizens.