The EU debate – where does science stand?

April has seen a number of debates up and down the country in universities, research campuses and even the Houses of Parliament on the question of science and EU membership. With the referendum approaching, our aim is to inform the debate about an important aspect of what is a much wider, and hugely complex, question on the UK’s membership of the EU. As one piece in a wider puzzle, CaSE partnered with the Engineering Professors’ Council to publish a report, The role of European Union membership in UK science and engineering research, to set out some of the details on the scale and scope of EU research funding and capture the views and experiences of researchers.

EU membership interacts with UK science and engineering in a number of ways from access to funding, facilities and skills, to regulation, legislation and trade. All significant factors influencing the sector in different ways, positively and negatively. But the top level is that those working in science are overwhelmingly positive about EU membership. Indeed it was quite clear from our survey, the evidence the Lords Committee received and surveys by others in the sector, that scientists and engineers tend to be much more positive than the wider public about UK’s membership of the EU and see EU membership as beneficial to UK science.

In our survey of researchers, we didn’t ask specifically for their view on remain or leave, but 93% agreed that EU membership is a major benefit to UK science and engineering. In a Nature poll, 80% said they would vote to remain in the EU while an Institution of Chemical Engineers survey found 75% were in favour of remaining in the EU. The role of EU membership in UK science and engineering is not simply a question of importance to the UK science base though, but to the UK public. Around a fifth (18%) of funding that the UK receives back from the EU is directed towards science and research, making it a significant aspect of the UK’s EU membership. Further, science and engineering are essential for producing more effective medicines, cleaner energy, generating new technologies and tackling the major challenges facing our society now, and in the generations to come. It is also a driver for productivity, growth and job creation – all factors that affect the wider UK public.

So in the debate around the EU we will continue to try and inform the wider debate and set out the role that EU membership plays in UK science and engineering.

Author: Noami Weir is Assistant Director, at the Campaign for Science and Engineering.