Representatives of the European research community initiated the Stick do Science campaign addressed to the governments of Great Britain, Switzerland and the European Union to highlight the need for scientific cooperation independent of political divisions and to enable the participation of Great Britain and Switzerland in the Horizon Europe program.
Support for the initiative launched on February 8, 2022 during the Science Business conference, can be provided by signing the website Stick to Science – Put science collaboration before politics (stick-to-science.eu) – support can be expressed both institutionally and individually.
The main postulate of “Stick to science” is the inclusion of Great Britain and Switzerland in the Horizon Europe Framework Program due to the scientific and financial contributions made by the associated countries. The inclusion of third countries in EU research and innovation programs increases the available budget for European cooperation as associated countries contribute an annual contribution covering their actual participation and the cost of running EU programs. This would add a further EUR 17.2 billion to the Horizon Europe budget of EUR 95.5 billion, an 18% top-up and allowing more resources to be allocated to key research projects.
Currently, UK participation is blocked due to Brexit and the ongoing negotiations of an association agreement for the Horizon Europe program, while in the case of Switzerland there is no agreement at the government level.
The campaign, addressed to the governments of Great Britain and Switzerland and the European Union, was supported by a large group of eminent representatives of the European world of science, and the list of people and institutions that supported it is still growing. It is worth noting that one of the first signatories was the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences – prof. Jerzy Duszyński. The PolSCA office has also joined the initiative.
We invite you to share information about “Stick to science“, and at the same time to support the development of European science independent of politics and the idea of cooperation across divisions.
