Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee
Conclusion 131
First Report - Universities and Scotland
Published 28 May 2021
Addressed to Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee Universities and Scotland All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Horizon 2020 was the EU’s framework programme for research and innovation. The UK was both a significant contributor to and beneficiary from Horizon 2020 with, between 2014 and 2016, the highest share of participants in signed grant agreements (12.8% of total Horizon 2020 participants)305 and the second highest share of programme funding distributed (at 15.2%, behind Germany on 16.7%).306 Professor Tim Bedford, University of Strathclyde, told us that Scotland as a whole secured €755 million over the six-year Horizon 2020 programme, which was 1.3% of the total Horizon 2020 budget, and Scotland’s higher universities got 81% of that.307 Minster Lochhead pointed out that Scotland had benefited more from Horizon 2020 compared with the rest of the UK.308 He also noted that: Universities’ research excellence plays a big role in attracting Horizon funding. [ … ] It is extremely important, and about 68% of all research in Scottish universities comes from Europe. As much of that as we can protect as possible is really important for the sustainability of research and higher education in Scotland, so it is really important both in terms of the collaboration and the culture of that collaboration, as well as the actual hard cash that comes in through Horizon. I know the Russell Group, for instance, said that for every £1 spent on research in Scotland, over £5 is created in the economy.309 Participation in Horizon Europe
From: Scottish Affairs Committee, First Report - Universities and Scotland (HC 54), 28 May 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 April 2022 (deadline 28 July 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out continued work with the devolved administrations and existing UK-wide policies on international students, immigration, research funding and talent, and states it will submit a response to the earlier Immigration and Scotland report "shortly".
- On the Turing Scheme, it confirmed funding for three years, including "£110 million for the 2022/23 Academic Year". It states the scheme "prioritises pupils, students and learners over staff and inward mobility funding", and says the first year's impact will be evaluated.
- On Erasmus+, it states that President Von Der Leyen "has previously confirmed that association by part of a country is not legally possible".
- On UKRI, it states that Board appointees "are not recruited to represent any constituency, sector or regional grouping", while a legal requirement to have regard to research conditions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is taken into account. It says Research England's place on the Executive Committee reflects its status as a legal component of UKRI.
- On visa costs, it states that "UK visa fees are broadly in line with our competitors" and that it will "continue to keep visa fees under review".