Brexit could harm UK's science base report warns

The UK could lose strategic influence on EU science policy in the event of a Brexit.

This is one of the conclusions from a report published by the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee, which also found Britain’s science and engineering community placing notable value on continued membership of the European Union.

The Committee concluded that the UK plays a leading role in the development of EU policies and decision-making processes that relate to science and research, but expressed concern over the poor level of engagement by large businesses in securing EU funding.

In its key findings, the committee reports that the status of the funding relationship between the UK and the EU is a complex one but gives significant value to UK science from the European Union with 18.3 per cent of all the UK’s incoming EU funding going on scientific research and development.

The Committee add that the EU’s main funding system for science rewards excellence and the inquiry heard that the UK is one of the EU’s top performers in terms of securing these competitive funding streams.