Despite the UK’s temporary exclusion from Horizon Europe, Europe’s flagship research programme, research ties held strong and the enthusiasm of our 39 universities for working together never diminished. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) already work well together. They could also be targeted to boost German-UK collaborations within Horizon Europe – combining Europe’s largest research bases to leverage additional funding which neither can deliver alone. The treaty is an important step for government links and will support new partnerships between funders, universities, research teams and regulators on emerging and critical technologies. UK-German research links have led to breakthroughs in everything from quantum theory and AI to neuroscience, advanced materials and more.
