How will Brexit affect access to European Funding Programmes

** Please note this article is now superceded by a new article taking accountof the Withdrawal Agreement **

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	enquiries@beis.gov.uk
Connecting Europe Facility - Communications	DCMS	euqueries@culture.gov.uk
Connecting Europe Facility - Energy	BEIS	Connecting Europe Facility energy funding if there’s no Brexit deal	TEN-E-CEF@beis.gov.uk
Connecting Europe Facility - Transport	DfT	TEN-T@dft.gov.uk
Creative Europe	DCMS	euqueries@culture.gov.uk CultureTourismEU@gov.scot
Employment and Social Innovation	DWP	EXIT.EUIA@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Erasmus +	DfE	Erasmus+ in the UK if there’s no Brexit deal	Department for Education contact form
Europe for Citizens	DCMS	euqueries@culture.gov.uk
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) / CAP Pillar 2	DEFRA	Farm payments if there’s no Brexit deal	defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk RPIDbusinesssuport@gov.scot(Scottish Government)
European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) / CAP Pillar 1	DEFRA	Farm payments if there’s no Brexit deal	defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)	DEFRA	defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)	BEIS	European Regional Development Funding if there’s no Brexit deal	enquiries@beis.gov.uk
European Social Fund (ESF)	BEIS	European Social Fund (ESF) grants if there’s no Brexit deal	enquiries@beis.gov.uk
European Solidarity Corps	DCMS	euqueries@culture.gov.uk
European Territorial Cooperation (ETC)	BEIS	enquiries@beis.gov.uk
Health for Growth	DHSC	Department of Health and Social Care contact form
Horizon 2020	BEIS	Horizon 2020 funding if there’s no Brexit deal	enquiries@beis.gov.uk
LIFE	DEFRA	Funding for UK LIFE projects if there’s no Brexit deal	defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Research Fund for Coal and Steel	BEIS	enquiries@beis.gov.uk

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: