Making Britain a science and research superpower
















Today the Prime Minister is launching a plan to cement the UK’s place as a science and technology superpower by 2030 – backed by £370 million of new funding to foster world leading scientific research that will create well-paid jobs and grow our economy. 

  • That is why today, the government is setting out 10 key actions under a bold new plan – backed by £370 million of investment – to cement our place as a global science and technology superpower by 2030, by pursuing transformational technologies like AI and supercomputing, attracting top talent and boosting private sector investment.
  • The more we innovate, the more we can grow our economy, create the high-paid jobs of the future, protect our security, and improve lives across the country.

I note that there is some concern from the scientific community about the fact that the government has not given a definite commitment to rejoin the EU Horizon scheme for pooling science and research. Nobody should read into this the assumption that Britain will not be rejoining the scheme. Doing so remains "Plan A." 

It is simply that you never go into a  negotiation committing yourself to accept the terms on offer whatever they are, because that completely destroys your negotiating position. But there has been a sea-change in relations between the UK and EU over the past few months: I believe Britain can get a reasonable deal to rejoin Horizon and will accept it.


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