UK universities warn on ERC funding cut
A group representing UK universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, has spoken out against any cut to EU research funding.
In an open letter published in the Financial Times, the Russell Group of universities said that research “excellence” was being threatened as member states sought to protect agricultural subsidies and structural funds.
In the letter published today, the 26 vice chancellors said: “ERC funding alone – which is only one component of total EU research funding – has contributed a massive £1bn to the UK knowledge economy. With this funding we pursue fundamental, applied and translational research into the grand challenges facing us, including healthy ageing, clean energy, and food security: research that underpins sustainable economic growth.”
The alliance also criticised the UK political leadership, saying too few politicians had “been heard fighting for [research and innovation] importance.” Members of the Russell Group also include the University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London and University College London.
The academics’ concerns have been echoed by the European Research Council, the European Round Table of Industrialists and European Nobel Science Laureates, all of which have published similar letters in the Financial Times.
The European Council will meet later this week in Brussels in another attempt to agree the EU’s 2014-2020 budget. Member states including the UK, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands are set to argue that the EU must reduce its spending, whilst some Eastern and Central European states hope to continue to benefit from cohesion spending.
However, David Willetts, the UK minister for universities and science, has indicated the government’s desire to have research spending as a “larger part of a smaller [EU] budget.”
