Bespoke deal to join Horizon Europe will boost UK research and innovation
The UK Government has announced that from 7 September UK scientists will have access to the world’s largest research collaboration programme after a three-year hiatus.
Horizon Europe is the European Union’s funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion.
The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research while tackling global challenges. Its current five missions include mitigating climate change, beating cancer, restoring ocean and waters, climate-neutral smart cities, and the transition towards healthy soils.
Alongside these missions, Horizon Europe supports the creation and better dispersal of knowledge and technologies alongside providing critical infrastructure for research and innovation, including its EuroHPC scheme
This, in turn, creates jobs, better engages the EU’s talent pool, boosts economic growth, promotes industrial competitiveness and optimises investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.
Membership of Horizon Europe will give UK companies and research institutions unrivalled opportunities to lead global work around the development of new technologies and research projects, in areas from health to AI. This will not only open up cooperation with the EU, but also Norway, New Zealand, and Israel, which are all part of the programme – as well as countries like Korea and Canada which are looking to join, too.
Crucially, UK researchers will be able to lead consortia in the next work programme of Horizon Europe projects.
The new bespoke deal means that the UK will not pay for the period in which UK researchers have been excluded (since 2021), with costs starting from January 2024. This additional breathing space should boost the participation of UK researchers in open calls for grants before we start paying into the programme.
techUK has previously called for the UK to join Horizon Europe with the aim of removing uncertainty for UK research and innovation whilst opening pathways for collaboration.
In response to the announcement that the UK will join Horizon Europe, techUK CEO Julian David has said:
The UK’s association with Horizon Europe is a welcome and important milestone for the scientific community. The Horizon Europe project has been integral in fostering groundbreaking research, technological advancements, and international partnerships. With the UK’s joining, we can look forward to seeing our talented scientists and researchers making an even more vibrant and impactful collaboration to address the world’s most pressing challenges, from the climate crisis to healthcare innovation. This important partnership will help supercharge UK research and innovation in the years to come.
Julian David
techUK
Horizon Europe info days
The Horizon Europe info days give to prospective applicants and other stakeholders of EU research and innovation the opportunity to get information and ask questions about the main funding instruments.
The UK is home to emerging technologies that have the power to revolutionise entire industries. From quantum to semiconductors; from gaming to the New Space Economy, they all have the unique opportunity to help prepare for what comes next.
techUK members lead the development of these technologies. Together we are working with Government and other stakeholders to address tech innovation priorities and build an innovation ecosystem that will benefit people, society, economy and the planet - and unleash the UK as a global leader in tech and innovation.
For more information, or to get in touch, please visit our Innovation Hub and click ‘contact us’.
Tech and Innovation Summit, 6 Nov (rescheduled date)
Emerging technologies will be debated and explored at our annual Tech and Innovation Summit, taking place on 6 November. This campaign week will directly feed into the themes discussed at the Summit.
techUK’s flagship Tech and Innovation Summit returns to traverse the extraordinary and ground-breaking discoveries made possible by the application of emerging and transformative technologies.
#UnleashInnovation - techUK's Technology and Innovation programme is excited to host its innovation campaign week, as part of the Unleashing Innovation campaign, from 13-17 May.
techUK's sprint campaigns explore how emerging and transformative technologies are developed, applied and commercialised across the UK's innovation ecosystem.
Activity includes workshops, roundtables, panel discussions, networking sessions, Summits, and flagship reports (setting out recommendations for Government and industry).
Each campaign runs for 4-6 months and features regular collaborations with programmes across techUK.
This campaign explored how the UK can lead on the development, application and commercialisation of space technologies and ultimately realise the benefits of the New Space Economy.
These technologies include AI, quantum, lasers, robotics & automation, advanced propulsion and materials, and semiconductors.
Activity has taken the form of roundtables, panel discussions, networking sessions, Summits, thought leadership pieces, policy recommendations, and a report.
Get in touch below to find out more about techUK's ongoing work in this area.
This webinar explored the space industry of tomorrow and panellists spoke about what steps the UK can take to become a superpower across a broad spectrum of emerging and transformative space technologies.
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
This campaign has explored how the UK can lead on the development, application and commercialisation of the technologies set to underpin the Gaming & Esports sector of the future.
These include AI, augmented / virtual / mixed / extended reality, haptics, cloud & edge computing, semiconductors, and advanced connectivity (5/6G).
Activity has taken the form of roundtables, panel discussions, networking sessions, Summits, and thought leadership pieces. A report featuring member case studies and policy recommendations is currently being produced (to be launched in September 2024).
Get in touch below to find out more about contributing to or collaborating on this campaign.
This webinar explored the gaming industry of tomorrow and asked what steps businesses can take to lead in the development, commercialisation, application and adoption of the key emerging technologies that will underpin it.
This webinar explored the key technologies behind the future of Esports in the UK and asked what more the UK can do to lead on their development and application.
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
Running from July to December 2024, this campaign will explore how the UK can lead on the development, application and commercialisation of web3 and immersive technologies.
These include blockchain, smart contracts, digital assets, augmented / virtual / mixed / extended reality, spatial computing, haptics and holograms.
Activity will take the form of roundtables, workshops, panel discussions, networking sessions, tech demos, Summits, thought leadership pieces, policy recommendations, and reports.
Get in touch below to find out more about contributing to or collaborating on this campaign.
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
Our annual Campaign Weeks enable techUK members to explore how the UK can lead on the development and application of emerging and transformative technologies.
Members do this by contributing blogs or vlogs, speaking at events, and highlighting examples of best practice within the UK's tech sector.
#UnleashInnovation - techUK's Technology and Innovation programme is excited to host its innovation campaign week, as part of the Unleashing Innovation campaign, from 13-17 May.
#SuperchargeUKTech - techUK's Technology and Innovation programme is excited to have hosted its innovation campaign week, as part of the Supercharging Innovation campaign, between 18-22 September.
Programme Manager - Digital Ethics and AI Safety, techUK
Tess is the Programme Manager for Digital Ethics and AI Safety at techUK.
Prior to techUK Tess worked as an AI Ethics Analyst, which revolved around the first dataset on Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR), and then later the development of a large language model focused on answering ESG questions for Chief Sustainability Officers. Alongside other responsibilities, she distributed the dataset on CDR to investors who wanted to further understand the digital risks of their portfolio, she drew narratives and patterns from the data, and collaborate with leading institutes to support academics in AI ethics. She has authored articles for outlets such as ESG Investor, Montreal AI Ethics Institute, The FinTech Times, and Finance Digest. Covered topics like CDR, AI ethics, and tech governance, leveraging company insights to contribute valuable industry perspectives. Tess is Vice Chair of the YNG Technology Group at YPO, an AI Literacy Advisor at Humans for AI, a Trustworthy AI Researcher at Z-Inspection Trustworthy AI Labs and an Ambassador for AboutFace.
Tess holds a MA in Philosophy and AI from Northeastern University London, where she specialised in biotechnologies and ableism, following a BA from McGill University where she joint-majored in International Development and Philosophy, minoring in communications. Tess’s primary research interests include AI literacy, AI music systems, the impact of AI on disability rights and the portrayal of AI in media (narratives). In particular, Tess seeks to operationalise AI ethics and use philosophical principles to make emerging technologies explainable, and ethical.
Outside of work Tess enjoys kickboxing, ballet, crochet and jazz music.
Laura is techUK’s Head of Programme for Technology and Innovation.
She supports the application and expansion of emerging technologies, including Quantum Computing, High-Performance Computing, AR/VR/XR and Edge technologies, across the UK. As part of this, she works alongside techUK members and UK Government to champion long-term and sustainable innovation policy that will ensure the UK is a pioneer in science and technology
Before joining techUK, Laura worked internationally as a conference researcher and producer covering enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. This included being part of the strategic team at London Tech Week.
Laura has a degree in History (BA Hons) from Durham University, focussing on regional social history. Outside of work she loves reading, travelling and supporting rugby team St. Helens, where she is from.
Sue leads techUK's Technology and Innovation work.
This includes work programmes on cloud, data protection, data analytics, AI, digital ethics, Digital Identity and Internet of Things as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy. She has been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and in 2021 was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame. A key influencer in driving forward the data agenda in the UK Sue is co-chair of the UK government's National Data Strategy Forum. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries for 2020 Sue has also been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and was a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI. In addition to being a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security, Sue was recently a judge for the UK Tech 50 and is a regular judge of the annual UK Cloud Awards.
Prior to joining techUK in January 2015 Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. She has spoken at events including the UK-China Internet Forum in Beijing, UN IGF and European RSA on issues ranging from data usage and privacy, cloud computing and online child safety. Before joining Symantec, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Masters Degree on International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
Elis joined techUK in December 2023 as a Programme Manager for Tech and Innovation, focusing on AI, Semiconductors and Digital ID.
He previously worked at an advocacy group for tech startups, with a regional focus on Wales. This involved policy research on innovation, skills and access to finance.
Elis has a Degree in History, and a Masters in Politics and International Relations from the University of Winchester, with a focus on the digitalisation and gamification of armed conflicts.
Usman joined techUK in January 2024 as Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence.
His role is to help techUK members of all sizes and across all sectors to adopt AI at scale. This includes identifying the barriers to adoption, considering solutions and how best to maximise AI's potential.
Prior to joining techUK, Usman worked as a policy, government affairs and public affairs professional in the advertising sector. He has also worked in sales and marketing and FinTech.
Usman is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science (MSc), BPP Law School (GDL and LLB) and Queen Mary University of London (BA).
When he isn’t working, Usman enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He also has a keen interest in running, reading and travelling.
This roundtable was organised by DCMS as a follow up from previous conversation with techUK and the sector around the sector’s resilience and planning for the upcoming winter and potential energy supply disruptions.
This digital energy transition campaign week will focus on the digital transformation of the energy sector, its ability to deliver higher impact through tech and the capability of our industry to deliver a just transition.
At last month’s Police Digital Summit in the UK, a panel of police, tech specialists and criminal justice stakeholders discussed how technology could help to meet the challenges of rape and serious sexual offences, and violence against women and girls; techUK’s Georgie Henley, who chaired the panel, highlights some of the key points from the discussion, and the collaborative approaches that can ensure improved responses in the future.
Building the Smarter State is techUK’s flagship public services conference and the go-to conference for public sector digital leaders.
2024 will mark the tenth anniversary of this hugely influential conference, where we will focus on the most pressing and important topics for public sector digital transformation.