issues agenda
“The UK Government previously announced that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund would be its successor to EU structural funds. Further details on priorities and eligibility are expected from the UK Government in late October 2021.”
Erasmus + The ALMA scheme is the latest consequence of Brexit to impact on young people in Northern Ireland. In March 2021, the Irish Government was forced to step in and fund the continued involvement of students from Northern Ireland in the Erasmus+ programme after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson took the “tough decision” not to participate in the new scheme. The long-established EU programme funds students’ study across member states and in 2019 alone, almost 650 students and staff from Northern Ireland took part. In its place, the UK has launched the Turing Scheme, which will seek to be more expansive in its opportunities for students by including universities beyond Europe. However, critics have highlighted that it will not fund inward studies.
“ALMA, which was announced by the EU in September, is part of the ESF successor programme to be known as ESF+, which the UK will not be involved in.” Horizon Europe Unlike with the EU’s structural funds, the UK did opt for associate membership of the forthcoming Horizon Europe project within the EU exit deal, however, its inclusion has still not been ratified almost a year after the scheme was launched. Horizon 2020 was the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever and provided almost €80 billion of funding over seven years from 2014 to 2020. The scheme, which funds ground-breaking work in areas such as cancer research and climate change, was utilised by almost 300 Northern Ireland participants and almost €100 million had been drawn down by October 2020. The programme has been refreshed as Horizon Europe for the years 2021 to 2027 with a budget of almost €100 billion. The UK has agreed in principle to participate in the programme under the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with a “fair and appropriate financial contribution”. However, association is subject to ratification. At the end of October, the UK’s Brexit negotiator David Frost announced the Government was “quite concerned” that the EU had still not ratified the UK’s associate membership of Horizon Europe. Stating that failure to deliver on the obligation would be a breach of the treaty, Frost said: “Every day's delay is a further day UK entities can not participate.” The EU Commission has published the main work programme of Horizon Europe for the period 2021/2022, which outlines the objectives and specific topic areas that will receive a total of €14.7 billion. Despite the absence of ratification of involvement, the Department for the Economy is encouraging businesses and researchers to prepare to bid into Horizon Europe.
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