The influence of EU membership on UK science inquiry launched

The Society for Endocrinology is working with the Royal Society of Biology to gather evidence and comments regarding the relationship between EU Membership and the effectiveness of Science, Research and Innovation in the UK, to inform a response to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee inquiry on the influence of EU membership on UK science.

Replies in response to this inquiry will also help to inform broader evidence-gathering on this topic; assessing the potential impact on UK bioscience of the period of uncertainty before and the possible outcomes of the UK’s Referendum on EU Membership.

The HoL Select Committee have asked for evidence in response to four major themes of funding, collaboration, regulation and scientific advice.  

Please send responses to the questions below to [email protected] by 12 October 2015. You do not need to provide responses to all questions; please feel free to add any additional comments.

House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee Questions regarding the Relationship between EU Membership and the effectiveness of Science, Research and Innovation in the UK:

Funding

1.   What is the scale of the financial contribution from the EU to science and research in the UK? How does the financial contribution the UK receives compare with other member states in terms of, for instance, population, GDP, scientific strength or any other relevant indicators?

2.   What is the scale of the financial contribution from the UK to the EU that supports science and research activities?

3.   What is the effectiveness and efficiency with which these funds are managed in the EU compared to the management of science funding in the UK? Particularly, when administrative overheads, quality of decision-making and advisory processes are considered?

Collaboration

4.   What are the benefits to UK science and research of participation in EU collaborations and funding programmes such as Horizon 2020 and the European Research Council?

5.   What is the influence of EU membership on bilateral collaboration between the UK and other EU member states? Are collaborations with member states stronger than with non-EU countries as a result of EU membership? Or, are bilateral collaborations with member states inhibited by requirements to work through EU mechanisms?

6.   How is private investment in UK science and research influenced by EU membership? Is international investment leveraged on the basis of this membership? How does EU membership affect the growth of research-intensive UK companies?

7.   How does the UK participate in the creation and operation of international facilities that are available as a consequence of our EU membership? Are there any restrictions in the creation and operation of international facilities outside the EU as a consequence of our EU membership?

8.   What contribution does EU membership make to the quality of UK science and research through the free movement of people?  How does this compare with flows of people between the UK and non-EU countries such as the USA, India, China and Singapore?

9.   Does EU membership inhibit collaborations with countries outside the EU, for example by requiring the UK to adopt EU-wide immigration policies rather than bespoke ones for the UK?

Regulation

10.  What are the key EU regulatory frameworks/mechanisms that directly affect the science and research community in the UK?

11. If the UK were not a member of the EU, could regulations be reformed to give greater benefit to UK science and research? For example, in areas such as data regulation, VAT on shared facilities, and the use of the precautionary principle?

12. How is the innovation landscape affected by EU membership?

Scientific Advice

13. How does the quality and effectiveness of scientific advice on matters of public policy compare between the EU and the UK? What are the effects, if any, of differences in the provision of scientific advice between the EU and the UK?

14. To what extent does EU membership enable UK scientists to inform and influence public policy at EU or international levels? To what extent does EU membership inhibit UK scientists from influencing public policy at EU or international levels?