How will Brexit affect access to European Funding Programmes
The UK will be leaving the European Union (EU) on 31 October 2019 with the negotiations about the UK’s future relationship with the EU ongoing. Although a draft version of a Withdrawal Agreement has been signed off, the UK parliament has yet to approve the deal, now scheduled by the 31 October 2019.
Included in this Agreement is a draft Financial Settlement which would allow the UK to continue to take part in all EU programmes until the end of the current programming period 2014-20*.
If the Withdrawal Agreement is approved by the UK Parliament and EU 27 Member States, no changes will be made to the management of current programmes and the UK will continue to be eligible for all Horizon 2020, Interreg and other European programmes until 2020.
In the event of the Withdrawal Agreement not being approved (a ‘no deal’), the UK will leave the EU Budget in March 2019 meaning UK organisations would no longer receive future funding for projects under EU programmes.
In this scenario, the UK Government have offered a guarantee of funding which covers the following:
- the full 2014-20 Multiannual Financial Framework allocation for structural and investment funds
- the payment of awards where UK organisations successfully bid directly to the European Commission on a competitive basis while we remain in the EU
- the payment of awards under successful bids where UK organisations are able to participate as a third country in competitive grant programmes from Exit day until the end of 2020
- the current level of agricultural funding under CAP Pillar 1 until 2020.
Horizon 2020
For Horizon 2020 projects that have been AWARDED prior to the 31st October 2019 all UK partners will need to register their details with UKRI via the dedicated web-page to benefit from the Guarantee.
The guarantee also extends to supporting projects that are successfully SUBMITTED after 31st October 2019 and by December 2020, to provide the financial contribution that would have previously been provided by the EU. In the case of a no-deal Brexit, the UK will continue to participate in Horizon 2020 projects with a ‘Third Country’ status**, which may restrict the participation of UK organisations to collaborative projects only.
INTERREG (European Territorial Cooperation Programmes)
Grant funding is now guaranteed to UK partners for all Interreg projects, current and future, which are AWARDED before the end of 2020 (contract signed). This means contracts between UK partners and EU counterparts can continue to be signed after exit from the EU, until December 2020.
This is subject to agreement and the UK Government are working jointly with all the Interreg programme Managing Authorities and the EU Member States in each Interreg programme to deliver the funding guarantee using existing programme management arrangements, where possible.
Scottish Stakeholders
The UK Government have identified the following programmes as having Scottish stakeholders. If you require further information regarding the guarantee for a specific fund, it may have a UK Government ‘Technical Notice’ linked below, or you can read more about the overall UK Government funding guarantee.
***Please check back regularly as table may be subject to change***
EU programme |
UK Government Department |
UK Government Technical Notice |
Contact information |
Competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) |
BEIS |
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Connecting Europe Facility - Communications |
DCMS |
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Connecting Europe Facility - Energy |
BEIS |
Connecting Europe Facility energy funding if there’s no Brexit deal |
|
Connecting Europe Facility - Transport |
DfT |
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Creative Europe |
DCMS |
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Employment and Social Innovation |
DWP |
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Erasmus + |
DfE |
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Europe for Citizens |
DCMS |
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European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) / CAP Pillar 2 |
DEFRA |
defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk RPIDbusinesssuport@gov.scot(Scottish Government) |
|
European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) / CAP Pillar 1 |
DEFRA |
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European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) |
DEFRA |
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European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) |
BEIS |
European Regional Development Funding if there’s no Brexit deal |
|
European Social Fund (ESF) |
BEIS |
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European Solidarity Corps |
DCMS |
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European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) |
BEIS |
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Health for Growth |
DHSC |
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Horizon 2020 |
BEIS |
||
LIFE |
DEFRA |
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Research Fund for Coal and Steel |
BEIS |
Definitions
Programming Period 2014 -2020*
A programming period is aligned to the 7-year EU budget cycle and policy priorities for that period.
The current programming period runs from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020. The new programming period will run from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027. Both the Withdrawal Agreement and the UK Treasury Guarantee relates solely to the current Programming Period.
Third Country (Horizon 2020)**
Third Countries are industrialised countries which are either not EU Member States or do not have an International agreement with the European Commission to associate to EU programmes (Associated Countries). Collaborative projects under the Horizon 2020 are ‘Open to the World’, which means that any industrialised non-EU/EEA country can still take part in collaborative projects funded under Horizon 2020, albeit without receiving money from the EU.
Further information: