Written answers

Thursday, 30 September 2021

Department of Education and Skills

Research and Development

Photo of Neale RichmondNeale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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295. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has engaged with his European colleagues to ensure that Northern Ireland becomes associated with the Horizon Europe research programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47290/21]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I would welcome strong engagement by Northern Ireland with Horizon Europe.

InterTradeIreland supports North/South collaboration between researchers and innovators on the Framework Programmes.  My Department continues to work closely with InterTradeIreland to facilitate collaborative opportunities which will arise from Horizon Europe.

All aspects of the UK’s association to the Horizon Europe Framework Programme on Research and Innovation (Horizon Europe) were agreed on 24 December 2020 through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK (TCA). 

The TCA has been provisionally applied since 01 January 2021.

Part V of the TCA addresses UK participation in EU programmes. It is complemented by a financial annex specifying the implementation of the financial conditions and by a draft protocol, called Protocol I.

This Protocol specifies the Programmes in which the UK will participate and the scope of its participation, as well as some rules specific to each programme, including Horizon Europe. This protocol is to be finalised and adopted by the joint EU-UK Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes.

The European Commission is completing internal procedures to be able to adopt the Protocol and when the Protocol enters into force, the UK will be formally associated to Horizon Europe.

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