The positive news was announced by the government on 7th September, with UK researchers able to apply for grants and bid to take part in projects immediately. Membership for the UK had originally been agreed as part of the Brexit trade deal when we formally left the EU back in 2020, but ongoing issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol had meant exclusion from the scheme until now.
Horizon Europe is the largest research collaboration programme, bringing together companies and scientists from more than 40 countries within the EU. Being back in the fold will mean exciting new opportunities for UK-based researchers to collaborate across nations in partnerships that just wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
Mito specialist Rita Horvath, who is Director of Research in Genetics of Rare Neurological Disorders at The University of Cambridge, shared our positive reaction to the news. “I am delighted to hear that the UK has finally rejoined this programme,” she said. “As a European (Hungarian) scientist living and working in the UK for the past 16 years, my research and patients have benefitted hugely from EU funding.
I am very excited that UK science can again benefit from participation in EU research and look forward to new opportunities to achieve a truly collaborative research environment within Europe.” – Rita Horvath
“Mitochondrial research in the UK received significant EU funding before Brexit, improving the lives of patients and families with mitochondrial disease. UK partners played a leading role in these previous collaborative projects.
“I anticipate that this agreement will open new opportunities for UK researchers to restart and initiate joint research on mitochondrial disease with EU partners, which will hugely benefit patients. I am very excited that UK science can again benefit from participation in EU research and look forward to new opportunities to achieve a truly collaborative research environment within Europe.”
The Lily Foundation are committed to a research strategy that seeks to improve the lives of patients by searching for treatments and that elusive cure for mito, so anything that helps further this ambition gets a big thumbs up from us.