Nuclear research if there’s no Brexit deal
Published 23 August 2018
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Last updated 12 April 2019
The UK and the EU Commission have signed an extension to the Joint European Torus (JET) operating contract. The new contract guarantees JET operations until the end of 2020 regardless of the Brexit situation.
Delivering the deal negotiated with the EU remains the government’s top priority. This has not changed.
However, the government must prepare for every eventuality, including a no deal scenario. For 2 years, the government has been implementing a significant programme of work to ensure that the UK is prepared to leave the EU.
It has always been the case that as we get nearer to that date, preparations for a no deal scenario would have to be accelerated. We must ensure plans are in place should they need to be relied upon.
In the summer, the government published a series of 106 technical notices setting out information to allow businesses and citizens to understand what they would need to do in a no deal scenario so they can make informed plans and preparations.
This technical notice offers guidance for continued planning in the event of no deal.
Also included is an overarching framing notice explaining the government’s approach to preparing the UK for this outcome in order to minimise disruption and ensure a smooth and orderly exit.
We are working with the devolved administrations on technical notices and we will continue to do so as plans develop.
Purpose
This notice explains how civil nuclear research that the UK already undertakes with the EU will be affected in the event that the UK leaves the EU with no agreement in place.
It is relevant to all researchers and research organisations in the fields of nuclear fission research (the current method of energy generation used at power plants), and nuclear fusion research (experimental energy generation technology).
A separate notice has been prepared on the implications of leaving Euratom for the civil nuclear sector, including the future context and impact on civil nuclear trade with the EU and partners. This notice covers only nuclear research.
Before the UK leaves the EU
The UK is currently a net contributor to the EU budget. The UK is also a member of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), which facilitates cooperation between EU countries in the civil nuclear sector. This includes participation in the Euratom Research & Training programme.
Through this programme, UK organisations and scientists collaborate internationally on a range of nuclear research projects and facilities, including:
- Joint European Torus (JET): JET, located at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire UK, is the world’s largest operational magnetically confined plasma physics experiment, and the focal point of the European fusion research programme
- International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor: The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject
- Joint Research Centre: The Joint Research Centre is the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. It employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to EU policy
- indirect actions (such as a competitive call for proposals for fission research and the JET Operating Contract).
The Euratom Research and Training programme runs for five years at a time, with scope for a two-year extension within the same Multiannual Financial Framework cycle. The current programme runs between 2014-2018 and the 2019-2020 extension of the programme is still under discussion in the EU. In May 2018, the Council of the EU agreed to the extension in principle. This extension is expected to be agreed in the early autumn 2018 once the European Parliament submits its view.
In a negotiated scenario, the UK will continue to take part in all EU programmes during the rest of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, including Euratom Research & Training. This has been agreed as part of the Financial Settlement which was signed-off by both UK and Commission negotiators in a draft Withdrawal Agreement and welcomed by the other 27 EU member states at March European Council.
If there’s no deal
The UK would leave Euratom.
In a ‘no deal’ scenario, the UK will:
- no longer be a member of the Euratom R&T programme
- no longer be a member of Fusion for Energy
- therefore, no longer be able to collaborate on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project through the EU.
The UK government is committed to nuclear research. This will mean continued domestic research, as well as its other international partnerships, to ensure the UK retains its world leading position in this field.
Implications, and actions for businesses and other stakeholders
Joint European Torus (JET) - continued funding
In June 2017, the government stated its commitment to continue to provide funding for its share of JET costs until the end of 2020, subject to the EU Commission extending the JET operating contract until then.
In March 2019, the UK and the EU Commission signed an extension to the JET operating contract. The new contract guarantees JET operations until the end of 2020 regardless of the Brexit situation.
Guarantee for competitive EU funds
In a ‘no deal’ scenario, the UK will leave the EU budget in October 2019 meaning UK organisations would no longer receive future funding for projects under EU programmes, such as Euratom Research and Training, without further action. However, the Chancellor announced in August and October 2016 that the government will guarantee EU projects agreed before we leave the EU, to provide more certainty for UK organisations over the course of Brexit. The guarantee covers the payment of awards where UK organisations successfully bid directly to the European Commission on a competitive basis while we remain in the EU.
In July 2018, the Chief Secretary laid a written ministerial statement extending this guarantee to provide further stability for UK organisations in a ‘no deal’ scenario. The guarantee now includes the payment of awards under successful bids where UK organisations can participate as a third country in competitive grant programmes from exit day until the end of 2020.
This means that in a ‘no deal’ scenario, at which point the UK will assume third country status, the government’s commitment will guarantee funding for eligible, successful bids until the end of 2020 for UK organisations who successfully bid directly to the EU for competitive grants under the Euratom Research and Training programme.
For international partnerships
International research partnerships will continue to be important in a ‘no deal’ scenario. The UK now has bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreements in place with key priority partners including the US, Australia and Canada. This will facilitate continued, unimpeded civil nuclear trade and nuclear research cooperation with these countries.
The UK will no longer be a member of Fusion for Energy and UK businesses will not be able to bid for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) contracts through Fusion for Energy.
However, the UK government is exploring alternative options to maintain UK participation in ITER.
In November 2018 the ITER Council confirmed that:
- the contracts of current UK nationals directly employed by the ITER organisation will be considered valid until their contractually agreed end date
- signed contracts/agreements with UK operators (including private companies, institutes and universities) will be considered valid until their contractually agreed end date
UK researchers working in the UK on Euratom Research and Training programmes
The guarantee and its extension provide UK stakeholders with reassurance that Euratom Research & Training projects covered by its terms will be funded for the lifetime of the project.
The UK government is implementing a similar process to that being used for Horizon 2020 to ensure beneficiaries of Euratom Research and Training grants can continue to receive payments. This will cover UK organisations’ successful bids for participation as a third country from exit day to the end of 2020. Current UK recipients of Euratom Research and Training grants should provide initial data about project(s) on a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) portal hosted on GOV.UK. UKRI will use the contact details provided by current recipients to inform them of the next steps in the process. Further information on how this process will work can be found in the Horizon 2020 technical notice.
For awards where UK organisations successfully bid directly to the European Commission on a competitive basis, we will work with the Commission to ensure that UK organisations will be able to continue to participate.
We are aware there may be cases where UK participants lead a consortium and are responsible for distributing funding to the other participants; the UK government is seeking to discuss how this could best be addressed in a no-deal scenario with the European Commission. These discussions would also need to include consideration of projects where the UK’s change in status from member state to third country could lead to concerns about ongoing compliance with Horizon 2020 rules (for example, where a consortium no longer meets the threshold for member state participants).
More information
The government’s guarantee for EU-funded programmes technical notice.
Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area and participate in other EU arrangements. As such, in many areas, these countries adopt EU rules. Where this is the case, these technical notices may also apply to them, and EEA businesses and citizens should consider whether they need to take any steps to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario.
This notice is meant for guidance only. You should consider whether you need separate professional advice before making specific preparations.
It is part of the government’s ongoing programme of planning for all possible outcomes. We expect to negotiate a successful deal with the EU.