Hi everyone,
Here is a BBC article about the future of scientific research and commercial science in the UK after Brexit. Besides the economic issues, the future of Science may also be of interest to many here.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-36622842***********
UK science will have to fight to make sure it is not an after-thought as Britain renegotiates its relationship with the EU, say research leaders.
The science establishment expressed its "disappointment" on Friday with the referendum's outcome.
It had been in the "remain" camp.
The decision to leave the EU now means new structures will have to be put in place if the science sector is to continue to enjoy favourable access to the union's programmes and funding.
Britain's science sector has done increasingly well out of the EU in recent years, receiving €8.8bn in research funding in 2007-2013 versus the €5.4bn it paid in over the same period. And UK-based scientists have won about a fifth of all the grants, in terms of value, from the top-tier programmes run by the European Research Council.
This funding flow-back has been described as being akin to having another Research Council to go with the seven national bodies that presently distribute UK government monies.
To maintain access to the EU stream, Britain will likely now have to get itself some kind of "associated country" status, similar to the positions held by other non-EU countries such as Norway, Switzerland and Israel.
Scientists for Britain is the group of researchers that has most prominently lobbied for Brexit.
It has argued that the policies of "political union" - and the regulations that flow from Brussels - are not a prerequisite for the UK playing a full role in European scientific collaborations.
The UK can survive and thrive outside full union membership, it contends.
Prof Venki Ramakrishnan, the president of the Royal Society, agreed with Dr Main that ministers must not lose sight of science as they renegotiate Britain's relationship with the EU.
"In the upcoming negotiations, we must make sure that research, which is the bedrock of a sustainable economy, is not short-changed, and the government ensures that the overall funding level of science is maintained," he said in a statement.
"We are days away from submitting the proposal for the next follow-on order, to complete the Galileo constellation, and we will continue to work hard with our supply chain to do this.
"I would look for our UK politicians to unite together to continue to support this flagship European project containing key UK technology, knowhow and to help protect jobs here in the UK."
Likewise, the chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology committee, Nicola Blackwood MP, wanted to highlight the care now needed to ensure the commercial science sector was properly supported.
"My committee's recent report into EU regulation of the life sciences pointed out that this sector alone comprises almost 5,000 companies employing 200,000 people in the UK, generating an annual turnover of £60bn. The Science and Technology Committee will want, in the coming weeks and months, to look at the consequences of this vote for British science," she said.
***********
Cheers.
Sriram
