HO wil UK in EU
De ‘Universities for Europe’ campagne begint met een lancering, waarin vanuit de verschillende politieke stromingen de grote waarde van Europese samenwerking voor de bloei van kennis, innovatie en talent wordt geschetst. “Membership of the European Union makes the UK’s outstanding universities stronger – contributing to economic growth, graduate employability and cutting-edge research discoveries.”
Banen, kansen, invloed
President Goodfellow zegt bij deze start onder meer: “It is abundantly clear that the UK’s membership of the European Union has an overwhelmingly positive impact on our world-leading universities, enhancing university research and teaching. UK universities are at the heart of the biggest knowledge producing region in the world – and we all benefit from that – individuals, the economy and society.”
“The case for staying in Europe is about ensuring the future prosperity of the UK, it’s about maximising the chances of new discoveries that enhance the society in which we live, it’s about the UK’s standing in the world, it’s about British jobs and it’s about opportunities for British people now and in the future.”
“By supporting collaboration and breaking down international barriers, the EU helps universities to carry out cutting-edge research and make discoveries that improve people’s lives and enhance the UK’s global influence. The EU brings people together, helping to attract top talent to contribute to UK higher education and providing life-changing opportunities abroad for UK students and researchers to build global networks and enhance their cultural understanding.”
“It helps universities to educate and employ local people, support home-grown enterprise and attract top European students who contribute to the UK economy. In the referendum debate, universities must stand up and be counted. We should be a powerful and positive voice on the benefits of EU membership.”
Maar één land scoort nog beter
De impact van de Europese samenwerking is voor de Britse kennissector dan ook indrukwekkend. Slechts één land ‘doet het’ nóg beter wat betreft de investeringen vanuit het gezamenlijke EU-beleid in R&D en kennis.
De Britse regering meldde in een recente review daarvan: “The UK does exceptionally well from the EU’s current seven-year research budget, Framework Programme 7 (FP7) [the predecessor to Horizon 2020], receiving €6.1bn or 15.4 per cent of the funds allocated to date, second only to Germany which has received 16.1 per cent. This equates to a higher percentage of FP7 funding than either our share of EU Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or population; only the Netherlands does better on either of these measures,”
Tijdens Nederlands EU-voorzitterschap?
UniversitiesUK zegt over de te voeren campagne het volgende: “The campaign will highlight how the UK’s membership of the European Union enhances university research and education which in turn benefits British people, the economy and our society. Over the coming months the campaign will promote powerful evidence and highlight compelling stories about the benefits of EU membership and will host public debates across the country working with partners in the university sector and beyond.” De campagnesite vindt u hier.
Dit weekend kwam naar buiten, dat premier Cameron eigenlijk zo snel mogelijk een referendum wil. Daarom zou in de Eurotop van eind 2015 de ‘deal’ over een flexibeler en vernieuwde EU gesloten moeten worden, waarmee Cameron tegen de kiezers zou kunnen zeggen: ‘wij hebben een nieuwe verstandhouding tot de EU uitonderhandeld en die past bij onze wensen en ambities.’ Het referendum kan dan het – in mei dit jaar door ScienceGuide al voorziene – orgelpunt van het Nederlands EU-voorzitterschap van januari tot juli 2016 worden. Eerder genoemde data ergens in 2017 lijken nu te vervallen.
