There is no doubt that the UK spends less on R&D than European countries with a similar GDP:
This low expenditure magnifies the effect of funding from the EU. According to Universities UK the EU issued grants totalling 867 million Euros per year from 2007-2012 in a total UK Government R&D spend of £28.9 bn per year (2013). However, all of this money was UK Government funding for EU R&D programmes. In fact the UK gets less out of EU R&D funding than it contributes, the UK contributed £800m to the EU R&D budget which is about 960m Euros and got back about 900m Euros (Click on the link if sceptical). The EU R&D funding programme is just a way of making it appear as if the EU is a wonderful benefactor.
It should be remembered that the total EU R&D budget from 2013-2020 is only about £8.5bn a year (80bn Euros over 7 yrs). Extravagant claims are made for this spending, which is split between 28 countries.
Universities UK should be pressurising the UK Government to increase R&D expenditure rather than extolling the virtues of crumbs doled out from the EU R&D fund:
The current head of Universities UK, Dame Goodfellow, is a well known activist for the EU cause, which suits the EU for the forthcoming referendum but is probably damaging UK Universities. Any research workers and students should remember that Universities UK are dedicated to turning UK universities into International Educational Businesses and have no interest in the needs of UK researchers and students.
The paper EU Membership and the Bank of England. gives a nice illustration of how the UK is using Foreign Direct Investment, much from EU companies such as EDF, to avoid spending on its own R&D:
UK
Employers and businesses know they are avoiding R&D
expenditure. Britain's increased openness has been accompanied by a
drastic decline in R&D:
This allows business to get R&D and foreign scientists off-the-shelf from other EU countries and the world
in general and forces UK scientists to go abroad for jobs.
Remember, scientists always travelled freely around the world from lab to lab before the EU was invented.
The other claims about the EU made by Universities UK are considered in depth in Universities UK wrong to say Britain should stay in EU at all costs:
Claim: The Erasmus programme 207,546 students and 21,133 staff from the UK have benefited from it.
Response: Erasmus does not require EU membership. Erasmus+ is not limited to just EU states, or even just to EEA countries. The programme covers 32 primary countries – the EU, the EEA, Turkey, and even Macedonia. Nearly every country in the world has opted in to some elements of the Erasmus+ package.
Claim: The UK’s research base has been strengthened by over 6,000 individual researchers coming to UK universities by the EU’s Marie Curie scheme.
Response: A country does not need to be in the EU to benefit from the Marie Curie scheme. According to the Commission, the eligible host institutions for Marie Curie are organisations active in research or researcher training located in EU Member States or “Associated States.”
Claim: Free movement of staff and students allows UK universities to access to talent from across Europe.
Response: Leaving the EU need not compromise the free movement of staff and students. A number of countries, including Norway and Switzerland, have free movement agreements with the EU. However, were Britain to opt out of free movement, the reduction in migratory pressures means that the UK could reverse the decision by the Home Office to scrap the Tier 1 post-study work visa (a decision which, according to the Institute of Directors and James Dyson, has made Britain less attractive to students).
Claim: Nearly half of UK academic papers have an international author
Response: Universities UK admits that “we have links all around the globe.” Our ability to work with countries beyond the EU would not be harmed by leaving the EU.
Are UK Scientists are being bribed to terminate the UK with their own money? Check the link to find out.
Also use this link http://tinyurl.com/o3wc6d7
5/8/15
 |
| Spending on R&D as % of GDP http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_398876.pdf |
This low expenditure magnifies the effect of funding from the EU. According to Universities UK the EU issued grants totalling 867 million Euros per year from 2007-2012 in a total UK Government R&D spend of £28.9 bn per year (2013). However, all of this money was UK Government funding for EU R&D programmes. In fact the UK gets less out of EU R&D funding than it contributes, the UK contributed £800m to the EU R&D budget which is about 960m Euros and got back about 900m Euros (Click on the link if sceptical). The EU R&D funding programme is just a way of making it appear as if the EU is a wonderful benefactor.
It should be remembered that the total EU R&D budget from 2013-2020 is only about £8.5bn a year (80bn Euros over 7 yrs). Extravagant claims are made for this spending, which is split between 28 countries.
Universities UK should be pressurising the UK Government to increase R&D expenditure rather than extolling the virtues of crumbs doled out from the EU R&D fund:
 |
| UK Trend in R&D Expenditure ONS Data |
The paper EU Membership and the Bank of England. gives a nice illustration of how the UK is using Foreign Direct Investment, much from EU companies such as EDF, to avoid spending on its own R&D:
Remember, scientists always travelled freely around the world from lab to lab before the EU was invented.
The other claims about the EU made by Universities UK are considered in depth in Universities UK wrong to say Britain should stay in EU at all costs:
Claim: The Erasmus programme 207,546 students and 21,133 staff from the UK have benefited from it.
Response: Erasmus does not require EU membership. Erasmus+ is not limited to just EU states, or even just to EEA countries. The programme covers 32 primary countries – the EU, the EEA, Turkey, and even Macedonia. Nearly every country in the world has opted in to some elements of the Erasmus+ package.
Claim: The UK’s research base has been strengthened by over 6,000 individual researchers coming to UK universities by the EU’s Marie Curie scheme.
Response: A country does not need to be in the EU to benefit from the Marie Curie scheme. According to the Commission, the eligible host institutions for Marie Curie are organisations active in research or researcher training located in EU Member States or “Associated States.”
Claim: Free movement of staff and students allows UK universities to access to talent from across Europe.
Response: Leaving the EU need not compromise the free movement of staff and students. A number of countries, including Norway and Switzerland, have free movement agreements with the EU. However, were Britain to opt out of free movement, the reduction in migratory pressures means that the UK could reverse the decision by the Home Office to scrap the Tier 1 post-study work visa (a decision which, according to the Institute of Directors and James Dyson, has made Britain less attractive to students).
Claim: Nearly half of UK academic papers have an international author
Response: Universities UK admits that “we have links all around the globe.” Our ability to work with countries beyond the EU would not be harmed by leaving the EU.
Are UK Scientists are being bribed to terminate the UK with their own money? Check the link to find out.
Also use this link http://tinyurl.com/o3wc6d7
5/8/15
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