On behalf of all of the signatories of the Stick to Science campaign, the initiators of the campaign have sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on 22 June, asking her to intervene urgently in the critical issue for science created by the delay of the association of the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
The Stick to Science campaign was initiated as a pan-European effort to expedite the association of Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK) to Horizon Europe. The signatories believe that collaboration in science, research and innovation in Europe is more important than ever as we face some of the world’s greatest challenges. At present, the association of the UK and Switzerland to Horizon Europe has been delayed and there is no clear vision of the eventual outcome.
Due to the current challenging political context, the signatories of the campaign understand that the delay in the association can only be resolved at the highest level of the European Commission, which is why we have now written to President von der Leyen. Similar calls have been made to the UK and the Swiss governments in the past weeks and months.
Since February 2022, the Stick to Science campaign has brought together the voice of more than 5600 major research funding/performing bodies, umbrella organisations, individual researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators, calling for an open R&I landscape both at European and at international level, without any political barriers. Europe’s position in the world would be stronger with robust research collaborations that contribute to a prosperous European research and innovation landscape.
The open letter to EC President Ursula von der Leyen can be found in PDF form here.