Scientists not happy with UK government’s Brexit science policy plans

In the United Kingdom, scientists are not impressed with how the UK government plans on handling scientific relationships with the EU after it exits next year. As part of the Brexit plan, the government published a policy document pledging to “seek an ambitious science and innovation agreement” but the document did not offer any specifics or proposed ideas on how to address science funding, gaps, and collaboration when it exits the EU.

UK scientists receive about €1 billion in funding annually from EU programs, much of it from the Horizon 2020 program, and allows over 30,000 researchers and staff to travel to the UK without visas so they could work on collaborative projects, but now that is all up in the air with Brexit. The government document specified that it would like to remain part of Horizon 2020 and is up for discussions about continuing UK participation in other science related programs as well, but that it would not allow EU citizens to automatically be able to come work and live in the UK without visas.