UK Launches Global Research Fund to Deepen International Scientific Collaboration.
UK Science Minister George Freeman announced that the UK will launch a global research fund to deepen scientific collaboration between international research partners.
The new International Science Partnerships Fund has been handed an initial £119 million in support of UK researchers collaborating with scientists in Japan and around the world.
The Global Research Fund allows Britain to enact its “Plan B” after the country was blocked by the EU from a major £80 billion flagship research programme. Despite having negotiated its entry into the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, disputes over the Brexit deal have meant that the UK has continued to be blocked from participating.
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The £80 billion science programme that would have let UK researchers access prestigious EU grants and collaborate with European scientists on a range of projects, has not yet come to fruition.
While the Government has continued to push for its reentry into the programme, it is also looking to secure a backup plan, particularly by increasing collaboration with non EU countries like Australia, Switzerland, and now Japan.
In his recent visit to Tokyo, Mr Freeman unveiled the first phase of the new International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), which will support and fund UK scientists and innovators to work with peers around the world on some of the most pressing issues facing the world.
In a keynote speech to scientists, investors, industrialists and global research leaders, he laid down the UK’s plans to take a more global approach to science, innovation and business.
The Global Research Fund’s approaches would involve collaborating with partners across the world to both drive innovation, investment and prosperity in the UK, while also strengthening the UK’s leadership in tackling the big global challenges facing the globe.
These challenges include tackling global warming, harnessing new energy sources like nuclear fusion, cleaning up the oceans and making space safe and sustainable.
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The deal with Japan follows a MoU on Science with European science powerhouse Switzerland earlier this year.
Source: Daily Express