Strengthening scientific relationships between Spain and the UK

Strengthening scientific relationships between Spain and the UK


Hub Officer, Dr Rafael Carrascosa Marzo, was a speaker at the seventh meeting of “CienciaUK”.

On 14th April, AE Cardiff Hub Officer, Dr Rafael Carrascosa Marzo, was a speaker at the seventh meeting of “CienciaUK”, organised by the Ramón Areces Foundation and the association of Spanish Researchers in the UK (SRUK) in Madrid, Spain. The focus of the event was the impact of Brexit on Research and Development (R&D) in the UK, as well as on international relationships and mobility opportunities in science.

The talks and panel session at the event explored the challenges that Brexit has brought to science, both for the UK and Spain, and also the different opportunities that exist or are nascent within the current international framework. Rafael Carrascosa, in his role as director at the science policy group of SRUK, went over the Horizon Europe framework, the current situation of the UK with respect to it, and the prospects of UK association to the Horizon Europe programme.

The position of both the UK and the EU is that the desired outcome is the UK’s successful association, under fair terms.

“Not participating in Horizon Europe, aside for barring the access of UK-based entities to a funding framework of 95.5 billion EUR, would limit scientific collaboration with European partners”, Carrascosa affirmed. “SRUK, as well as many other UK and EU academic institutions and associations, trust that the EU Commission and the UK government will reach an agreement for the inclusion of UK-based entities in the Horizon Europe”, he concluded.

Members of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and of the UK Embassy in Spain, representatives of the governmental science and technology foundation (FECYT), and researchers and managers at UK universities, were in attendance and discussed UK-Spain science relationships from their perspective.

At the event, the CONNECTS-UK project was presented as a platform that coalesces various researcher associations from EU countries based in the UK.

“CONNECTS-UK takes form as an answer to the shared challenges faced by the EU scientific diaspora in the United Kingdom regarding mobility and international collaborations.” Dr Javier Pardo, Chair of the EU policy committee at SRUK, said.


The Ramón Areces Foundation

Created in 1976 by Ramón Areces, the Foundation has the broad objective of fostering scientific and technical research in Spain, as well as education and culture in general. The Foundation is a pioneering institution in Spain, and ever since its creation has firmly supported scientific research as the driving force behind progress and modernity. Its mission has been conducted through financial support for both basic and applied scientific research, as well as scientific dissemination programmes.

The Association of Spanish Researchers in the UK (SRUK/CERU)

SRUK, also known as CERU by its Spanish acronym, was created in July 2011 (officially established in June 2012) to promote communication across the community of Spanish researchers working in the United Kingdom, by creating a social network that facilitates the sharing of professional and life experiences. As a result of years of pioneering work, SRUK/CERU has consolidated itself as a society that brings together Spanish researchers in the UK, giving them a united voice that impacts society, influences science policy and closes the gap between researchers in the UK and Spain.


Posted 2nd May 2023. For further information please contact AECardiffHub@cardiff.ac.uk



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