UK-led cancer and climate trials at
risk as British researchers become liability
Projects headed by UK universities have fallen
sharply since Brexit vote
Anna
Fazackerley
Published:
14:00 Tuesday
,
02 July 2019
Follow Anna
Fazackerley
British researchers say they are being shut out of
bids for major European research partnerships
,
or asked to keep a
low profile
,
because of fears that the threat of a no-deal Brexit
could contaminate chances of success.
An analysis by University College London of the latestEU
research funding data shows that UCL and eight other Russell Group
universities were running around 50 big European research collaborations a year
in 2016
,
but only 20 in 2018.
Researchers say that taking a back seat is harmful to
prestige
,
and also means they have less opportunity to steer
the direction of research and are likely to have a smaller slice of the
funding. Many are voluntarily not leading
,
however
,
because they fear that if UK academics are in charge of an important proposal
,
the
research may not be funded.
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Prof Michael Arthur
,
president of UCL
,
says:
“
What we are seeing is we are still participating in European
networks
,
but we are leading less.
”
Birmingham University has been asked to step down
from leading five bids for training networks
,
funded by the EU
’
s Marie
Sklodowska-Curie Actions
,
in case a UK partner compromises their chances. The
networks are designed to share best practice and teach early career researchers
to be more entrepreneurial and creative.
Robin Mason
,
pro vice-chancellor
international at Birmingham
,
says the university
’
s European partners
are
,
on the whole
,
being
“
remarkably forgiving
”
of the British
researchers
’
uncertain future
,
but
“
patience
is wearing thin
”
.
Prof Pamela Kearns
,
who heads up Cancer
Research UK
’
s national clinical trial centre at the university
,
is
currently sponsoring 16 clinical trials
,
the majority for
childhood cancers
,
in 21 European countries. She says the political
uncertainty is making research partners nervous.
Gender
pay gap expert among top professors quitting Brexit Britain
“
In one
recent discussion about a funding bid with very longstanding European partners
,
it
was decided they wouldn
’
t have a UK partner on the project as it would be too
great a risk
,”
she says.
For the past year Kearns has focused on ensuring she
can keep her trials running if Britain crashes out of the EU
,
but
the universities and hospitals involved have voiced concerns.
Cancer will be the main theme for health research
under the European Commission
’
s new €100bn
(
£89.9bn
)
research funding programme
,
Horizon Europe
,
which will succeed
the current Horizon 2020 scheme. If Britain crashes out of the EU on 31 October
,
there
is no guarantee it could continue to participate in the programme.
“
For
the UK not to be able to be a partner in a united European approach to making a
difference in cancer would be unacceptable
,”
Kearns says.
The head of one leading research university
,
who
wishes to remain anonymous
,
puts it bluntly:
“
Leaving with no deal
will be a fucking disaster for research. We are already hearing that
researchers in the EU are being told
‘
Why take the risk of
partnering with the UK?
’
.
”
Researchers at LSE
’
s Grantham Research
Institute on Climate Change and the Environment recently stepped back from
leading a new European research network exploring how switching to low-carbon
fuels affects countries dependent on coal and oil.
