Despite leaving the EU, the United Kingdom guarantees participation in certain projects, namely Horizon Europa, through a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU, as part of the framework for funding research and innovation.
Opportunities to access European post-Brexit funds will be discussed on June 12 at LUSO 2021, the annual meeting of Portuguese students and researchers in the UK organized by the PARSUK Association.
“We know that the UK is one of Portugal’s key partners at the scientific level. We are very interested in maintaining this cooperation as Portugal has a well – organized diaspora in the United Kingdom,” said Luca Marcia Costao, 95, President of PARSUK Bordeaux 95, which currently has more than 1,800 members. And runs until 2027.
Associate Membership allows UK scientists, researchers and organizations to access program funding under the same conditions as companies in EU countries.
The theme will be introduced by Ana Neves, Executive Coordinator, Portugal, European Research and Innovation Network (Perin), responsible for the strategy of strengthening national participation in the Horizont Europa project.
Then there will be two parallel sessions, one on “Funding Opportunities for Science, Research and Innovation” and the other on “Thinking about the present, preparing for the future: a career conversation”.
The two sessions of Luso 2021 will be attended by representatives of the Science and Technology Foundation, the British Welcome Trust, the University of Oxford, Imperial College London University and the Portuguese Embassy in the United Kingdom.
“Two parallel sessions focus on the career advancement of the researcher or student: one session is more for junior researchers such as doctoral students or post-doctoral fellows, and the other for senior researchers,” Marcia Costa explained. .
The impact of Brexit is felt not only in terms of funding, but also in terms of mobility, and although facilities for scientists have been planned, issues such as visas for internships or short collaborations have not yet been defined. “We had a four-week scholarship and we are trying to understand how we can continue to bring these students in because this type of internship is not provided by law to obtain a visa,” he revealed.
Now in its 14th edition, the event, opened by Science, Technology and Higher Education Minister Manuel Heather, will take place in digital form for the second year in a row following the Govt-19 epidemic.
Speakers include Jose Manuel Mendonci, President of the National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, and Luisa Henriques, Portugal’s Permanent Representative to the European Union. The closing will be done by the Portuguese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Manuel Lobo Antoine.
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