RSE response to reports that £1.6 Billion of R&D funding has been returned to the Treasury

The Royal Society of Edinburgh is deeply concerned with the decision of the UK Government to return £1.6bn of science funding from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to the Treasury. These monies were previously allocated to BEIS for international science collaboration through Horizon Europe, a key funding programme for research and innovation. The RSE joins partner academies in the UK, together with those in the wider science community, in seeking clarity as to what this decision means for future science funding. If the decision implies a corresponding cut in science funding this would have an extremely damaging effect on UK science at a time when continued investment in the UK’s world-class research and development is essential, and the likely impact upon Scottish research and development would be severe. With new Government departments recently announced, including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, a reaffirmation of the UK Government’s repeated assurances that science funding will be protected is urgently needed to restore confidence in the scientific community and prevent damage to the UK’s scientific reputation worldwide. The RSE awaits a response from the UK Government and will actively seek further information on the implications for Scottish research.