Tuesday 29 January 2019

Businesses urged to register for Horizon 2020 grants as Brexit looms

Businesses in the UK benefitting from the EU's Horizon 2020 funding are being urged to register their details with the government before Brexit.

That is to ensure organisations continue to receive funding for research and innovation projects even if the UK leaves the EU with no deal.

The government’s online portal was launched in September last year and while 5,500 public and private companies have registered, thousands more are estimated to have not yet signed up for crucial updates.

That includes around 4,500 higher education institutions and around 1,000 registrations from businesses, research organisations, public bodies and charities.

Managed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the online portal is the first step towards supporting the continuity of funding for UK organisations that have been awarded grants.

Science and Innovation Minister Chris Skidmore said: “We have guaranteed that UK organisations and businesses who receive EU science and research funding will continue to do so even if we leave the EU without a deal at the end of March.

“I want to ensure researchers and innovators have the confidence to push on with their great work, which is why I urge businesses to register their details on this simple online portal for Horizon 2020 grants. It takes just 10 minutes per grant for the data to be inputted and more than 5,500 registrations have already been received.”