UK medtech industry embraces return to Horizon programme

The medical technology industry in the UK has largely welcomed the move from the UK government to rejoin the Horizon Programme as an associate member.

Following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union following the referendum on its membership of the bloc, the UK withdrew from the programme but has renegotiated its position to the one it will take up from today. 

The UK government hailed the announcement as “a fantastic day for UK science and the economy.”

Design consultancy PD-M International welcomed the news, saying: “As a Design in Innovation SME this is fantastic news, particularly for the healthtech community. Innovation can only thrive in the right environment. Part of that is sharing skills and assets in order to pursue ground-breaking technologies and their dissemination into value-based solutions. For healthtech this is ultimately based around patient care, from early-stage diagnostics to precision medicine. Horizon Europe is an important part of the portfolio of collaborative funding to do just that. Great news for all, and the right move!”

Rahul Kapoor, director of healthtech at CPI echoed those sentiments saying it can reinforce the strong reputation the UK has in the sector.

Kapoor said: “The UK has a strong reputation for developing advanced innovations in healthtech. The announcement today that the UK is rejoining the Horizon programme will serve to reinforce our position as a world leader in this space.

“CPI has a strong track record of building ecosystems, collaborating from across government, academia, and industry to bring healthtech innovations to market. By opening up access to Horizon, we will be able to collaborate better across EU and transform great ideas into market-leading medical devices, wearables and diagnostics which improve lives.”

Alan Finnerty, technology director at medical device manufacturer Medovate: “Scientific research is a truly international collaborative endeavour, essential to developing innovative healthcare technologies. The UK rejoining the Horizon programme is fantastic news for UK academia, medtech businesses and patients as it provides a significant opportunity to build upon our excellent reputation for high quality scientific research leading to new drug and device developments that improve our ability to effectively tackle health issues, reduce the total cost of care, and most importantly, improve the overall health of the population.”

James Sheppard, managing director at Kadans Science Partner, says it is great to see the government taking tangible steps towards securing the UK’s participation in Horizon.

“Horizon Europe is the gold star that the UK has been aiming towards for many months now – it is great to finally see the government taking these real and tangible steps towards securing the UK’s participation and agreeing upon a deal. It has been months since ‘immediate’ work began to secure a deal and we do not want to waste any more time, with this seven-year program ending in 2027.

“This deal has come as a huge relief to the scientific community. The uncertainty over the past three years has massively dampened UK-EU scientific collaboration. Leading members of the science industry here in the UK have been left in limbo over the future of their projects during this time. 

“If the UK government really wants to make a ‘superpower’ status more than just a PR slogan we need a commitment to investing in the nation's infrastructure, attracting international talent, and fostering an environment conducive to growth.

“Science isn’t progressed in a week; it needs a multi-year financial commitment which this deal will now provide.”

The devolved Welsh government provided a broader commentary. It welcomed the UK’s re-entry into Horizon to the move but criticised the delay in confirming the position.

Minister for economy, Vaughan Gething, said: “Today’s announcement has been a long time coming. Continued participation in EU programmes was a clear message in the Welsh Government’s priorities for the future UK/EU relationship, and we have consistently pressed for this outcome. The delay in confirming associate membership for the UK has caused unnecessary alarm in the sector, which could and should have been avoided.

“Our continued participation in the Horizon programme will give Welsh universities and businesses the opportunity to join with their peers around the world to push the boundaries of science and tackle the biggest challenges faced in Wales and globally, such as climate change and recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Chief scientific adviser for Wales, Professor Jas Pal Badyal said: “This flagship EU programme offers an important platform to demonstrate Wales’ position as an outward-looking scientific nation which is committed to the highest level of research and innovation, working in close collaboration with partners across Europe and the rest of the world.

“Following today’s welcome news, I strongly encourage organisations in Wales to renew their relationships with their international networks with a view to bidding into Horizon Europe. Our European partners can be reassured by the eligibility of UK partners and coordinators.

“Wales has unique expertise in many domains of research and innovation and there is much to be gained by working together on shared challenges.”