Layla Moran sponsors Early Day Motion on Horizon Europe

Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson and recently appointed Science spokesperson, Layla Moran MP has been leading the charge in Parliament for a better deal for Britain’s scientists and researchers. Layla tabled a Parliamentary motion to rejoin the Horizon Europe scheme - the EU's key funding programme for research and innovation. 

The Early Day Motion (DEM) celebrates the role of international collaboration in driving world leading research and innovation and notes the positive effect this has on productivity and competitiveness. The motion recognises the continued benefit to British scientists and researchers which has accrued thanks to access to the Horizon schemes; notes with concern the significant delay to the UK gaining association as part of Horizon Europe which has resulted in British universities losing millions of pounds in funding and researchers relocating to Europe to more easily access funding there.

Layla and her fellow sponsors, including Tim Farron, are concerned by the recent comments made by the new Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology that the UK is “ready” to pursue its own scheme, rather than take part in wide-scale collaboration with our neighbours that is of huge benefit to our country.

The EDM calls on the Government to recommit to gaining association with Horizon Europe as a matter of urgency.