European Research Funding Should Be Protected

21st November 2022

Minister fears losing opportunities to find new markets.

Innovative Scottish projects may be threatened in the future if the UK Government fails to continue funding European research collaborations, Employment Minister Richard Lochhead has warned.

Mr Lochhead's concerns are for the future of European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) grants which have been worth more than £72.5 million to Scottish projects since 2014.

Projects previously supported by the grants include a joint scheme between the University of Stirling, NHS Highland and NHS Western Isles to use video technology to help dementia patients stay at home rather than go into residential care and a project developing tools powered by zero emissions hydrogen.

Mr Lochhead has written to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove calling for UK investment in ETC programmes, which are due to end in 2023, to continue for a further four years.