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The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) has issued an official statement urging the UK government to continue participation of the major EU science and research platforms, including Horizon 2020.

Although the RAS made no formal recommendation on the UK referendum, evidence suggests that a majority of scientists and engineers were in favour of continued EU membership. Now that voting is complete, however, and narrow victory achieved by the Leave Campaign, the RAS has considered the implications for UK science by commending EU research to UK government.

RAS President Professor John Zarnecki said: “We must remember that whatever happens, science has no boundaries. It is vital that we do not give the message, particularly to our younger colleagues, in the UK and beyond that our country is not a good place in which to do scientific research, however uncertain the economic and political environment is.

“I have been privileged during my career to have worked in a research environment in Europe which has had few borders for either people or ideas. We must strive to make sure that these rights are not taken away – this would be enormously to the detriment of UK society.”

Amongst other recommendations, the RAS has asked the government to consider the benefits of the free movement of people in science and research, the numerous collaborations fostered by the EU – ‘including programmes supported by the European Research Council, and the overarching Horizon 2020 Framework, [of which] the UK has been a major beneficiary’ – and the remaining 27 EU members regarding the security of UK scientists’ rights ‘to continue these productive relationships, for the good of scientific output and wider society’.

The RAS will celebrate its bicentenary in 2020. It promotes astronomy, solar system science and geophysics, amongst others, as its areas of study.