BREXIT and science, where do we go from here.
BREXIT and science, where do we go from here.
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英国脱欧和科学，我们该何去何从？
DOI：
10.1093/qjmed/hcw131
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发表时间：
2016
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Iredale JP
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Iredale JP
6月24日星期五，英国醒来的消息是，作为一个国家，它已经投票离开欧盟（所谓的Brexit）。整整一个月后，7月22日，一封由1600多名年轻研究人员签名的信在《伦敦时报》上发表，敦促政府确保对科学的支持不会因英国脱离欧盟而受到影响。这份出版物标志着一个月的结束，英国高等教育机构（HEIs）从最初的惊讶，震惊和对投票结果的失望转变为越来越坚定的决心和关注，以确保英国科学，包括生物医学科学，不会受到英国脱欧可能导致的政治和经济变化的影响。那么，这次投票可能对英国科学造成的威胁到底是什么呢？英国大学被广泛认为是世界上最强大的国家高等教育集团之一。此外，英国大学进行的研究，尤其是生物医学领域的研究，被广泛认为是强大的和具有经济重要性的;例如，2012年，生物医学研究为经济贡献了76亿英镑。这一成功是建立在有效的融资模式的基础上的，其中包括欧盟提供的大量研究和基础设施资金。此外，英国大学是外向型和国际化的。在公投投票之前，尽管提出了许多相互冲突的经济模式，并进行了激烈的辩论;英国高等教育机构在确定他们是欧盟研究和基础设施资金的净受益者方面非常一致（当然注意到成员国为这些资金做出了贡献）。此外，科学家跨越欧盟边界的自由流动不仅对大学的国际化做出了重大贡献，而且通过招募优秀人才，为英国的研究基地做出了贡献。目前，大约有125000名欧盟学生在英国大学学习，43000名大学工作人员是非英国欧盟国家的国民。有鉴于此，英国脱欧将对英国的研究产生什么影响？答案很简单，实际上没有人知道。显然，人们对欧盟衍生的研究和基础设施资金短缺以及英国研究人员申请成为欧洲主要合作倡议合作伙伴的资格感到深切和真实的担忧。此外，对移民法的任何修改以及跨欧盟边界自由流动的丧失，以及随之而来的招募高质量欧洲研究科学家的不确定性，很可能对研究的质量和轨迹产生负面影响。那些在辩论中支持脱欧的人指出，可以在确保那些可能对国家有益的人优先被接纳的基础上对移民进行监管的模式。为了支持研究，这种模式将取决于持续的政治关注科学对英国及其经济的重要性。还有一个更微妙的担忧，那就是英国脱欧投票表明英国已经成为一个更加内向的国家，对非英国科学家的支持减少，对那些以前希望来这里工作或学习的人的吸引力降低。英国脱欧可能会对英国大学和英国研究的未来资金产生其他潜在影响。英国大学通过欧洲投资银行（EIB）为主要建筑项目提供融资非常有效。该银行反过来又通过持有股份的欧盟国家提供资金（...
On Friday 24 June, the UK woke up to the news that as a country it had voted to leave the European Union (so-called BREXIT). Exactly a month later, on the 22 July, a letter signed by more than 1600 young investigators was published in The London Times exhorting the government to ensure that support for science was in no way compromised, as a consequence of the UK leaving the European Union. This publication marked the end of a month which saw the UK’s higher education institutes (HEIs) move from initial surprise, shock and disappointment at the outcome of the vote to one of an increasingly steely determination and focus to ensure that UK science, including biomedical science, does not become compromised by the political and economic changes that may result from BREXIT. So what exactly are the threats to UK science that may result from this vote? UK universities are widely recognized as being amongst the strongest national group of HEIs in the world. In addition, research undertaken in UK universities, notably of course in the biomedical field, is widely recognized as being strong and of economic importance; In 2012, for example, biomedical research was calculated to contribute£ 7.6 billion to the economy. This success has been built on the back of effective funding models which have included significant research and infrastructure funding from the EU. Additionally, UK universities are outward looking and international. In the lead up to the referendum vote, although many conflicting economic models were put forward and debates were fiercely fought; UK HEIs were remarkably consistent in identifying that they were net beneficiaries of EU research and infrastructure funding (noting of course that member countries contribute to those funds). Further, that the free movement of scientists across EU boundaries had made a major contribution not only to the internationalisation of universities, but through recruitment of excellent minds, contributed to the strength of the UK’s research base. Currently, there are circa 125 000 EU students studying at UK universities and 43 000 members of university staff who are nationals of a non-UK EU countries. Given this, what will the result of BREXIT be for UK research? The simple answer is that nobody actually knows. Clearly there are deep seated and real concerns over a shortfall in EU derived research and infrastructure funding and concern over the eligibility of UK researchers to apply as partners for major European collaborative initiatives. In addition, any changes to the immigration laws and the loss of free movement across EU borders with consequent inflexibility in the recruitment of highquality European research scientists may well have a negative impact on the quality and trajectory of research. Those on the BREXIT side of the debate point to models in which immigration can be regulated on a basis that ensures those who may be of benefit to the country are admitted preferentially. To be supportive of research such a model would depend on a sustained political focus on the importance of science to the UK and its economy. There is a further, more subtle, concern and that is that the BREXIT vote signals that the UK has become a more inward looking country, less supportive of non-UK scientists and less attractive to those who would previously have wished to come and work or study here. There are other potential impacts on future funding for UK universities and UK research which might result from Brexit. UK universities have been very effective at financing major building programmes through the European Investment Bank (EIB). The bank in turn is financed through EU states holding shares (the …