EU funding opportunities for UK cities post-Brexit

Important EU funding streams still available to UK cities for the next seven years


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Publication date

February 9, 2021

As part of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (the TCA) the UK will be an Associated Countryin a range of EU programmes, including Horizon Europe, which is good news for UK cities.

Horizon Europe is the research and innovation framework programme running from 2021-2027. It has a number of different missions including one on climate-neutral and smart cities.

Horizon Europe

  • The association secures participation of UK and EU entities in Horizon Europe Programme on equivalent terms.
  • UK organisations have access to R&I funding, infrastructure and markets via Horizon.
  • UK organisations can lead projects and UK experts can take part in evaluations.
  • The TCA also provides association to COST programme and the UK plays an active role in the ongoing governance and development of the HE programme.
  • The Commission (Signe Ratso, DDG RTD) has publicly stated that UK entities will be able to participate in the first calls of Horizon Europe, if, as it expects, the protocol is adopted before the signature of the first grant agreements.

Most of the details on programme participation are laid-out in Protocol I, which will last the length of the Programmes (7 years). Although Protocol I has yet to be fully ratified, that is considered a formality by both the Commission and the UK government.

UK entities will be able to access grant funding from all parts of Horizon Europe, including European Research Council and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and all application and grant management process will be the same as for Horizon 2020 with equivalent terms for participation for UK and EU entities.

FIND FUNDING THAT FITS

The European Commission is planning to publish the final Work Programmes (WPs) by April 2021. You can find all of the draft documents as they become available on this website which will give researchers detailed clues to what kind of projects will be funded in the €95.5B programme. Please continue to check on the website as a lot of information is not yet available.

HOW TO APPLY

Work programmes announce the specific research and innovation areas that will be funded. The forthcoming calls for proposals will be accessible through the one-stop-shop Funding and Tenders Portal. When ready each call gives more precise information on the research and innovation issues that applicants for funding should address in their proposals.