British universities are represented in many arenas by Universities UK. One of their current campaigns is to spread the word about the value that UK universities, and through it our world-leading research and higher education generally, gain from British membership of the EU.
A few highlights:
The UK does disproportionately well in securing EU research funding, which stimulates growth and constitutes an increasingly important source of income for UK universities.
The nature of EU research funding means that it complements and adds value to national structures, enabling projects the UK could not undertake alone.
EU research and development activity enhances the UK higher education sector’s quality, competitiveness and international reputation.
FP [i.e. Europe-wide] funding has had an enormous impact on stimulating employment and growth: the long-term impact of FP7 across the EU is estimated at 900,000 additional jobs and a growth in GDP of nearly 1%.
Inside the EU, the UK has access to research and higher education funding; direct influence over the regulatory environment; and global significance. Membership of the EU affords the UK access to collaborative and transnational research projects. The nature of these projects means that they could not be pursued nor could the same impact be achieved were the UK contribution to the EU research or higher education budgets invested at national level.
As an EU Member State the UK enjoys the broadest rights and access to EU funding for both higher education and research. Given the uncertain outcome of negotiations by the UK and the interim instability, an exit from the European Union has the potential to adversely affect the UK higher education sector and wider research community.
(These are quotes from a policy briefing sent to me by Universities UK. It doesn’t seem to be online, so I’ve uploaded a copy.)
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