On 3 March, UKRO organised the second European Liaison Officer (ELO) catch-up of 2021. Following a short introduction by UKRO, the meeting consisted of a short presentation on the new UK immigration system in the context of the UK-EU research collaborations. This was followed by UKRO-facilitated break-out rooms and discussions on issues around communication strategies, immigration and mobility and the Horizon Europe implementation strategy and novelties.
The meeting concluded with feedback from each break-out room and a short plenary presented by UKRO on our upcoming projects and events. All slides presented at the meeting are available below:
The new UK immigration system in the context of the UK-EU research collaborations
The presentation was delivered by Linda Holliday, Deputy Director of Global Mobility and Inclusion at UKRI, who discussed the new UK immigration and visa system, and the implications for students and researchers.
From 1 January 2021, freedom of movement in the UK ended. The UK government has introduced a new points-based immigration system for incoming mobility to the UK, including dedicated routes for students and researchers. These new regulations apply to all nationalities (except for Ireland where immigration rules are governed by the Common Travel Area (CTA).
Routes for entry such as the Global Talent Visa, EU Settlement Scheme, Innovator and Start-up & Skilled Worker Visas, as well as the Student, Doctorate Extension, Graduate Visa, and Tier 5 routes were discussed.
The Global Talent Visa (GTV) combines the existing ‘Exceptional Talent’ routes administered by the National Academies and also includes the ‘Endorsed Funder Route’ run by UKRI. The full list of endorsed funders was updated in December 2020, and now includes all UK research councils, Horizon 2020 funding and a range of other international funders. UKRI seeks recommendations from stakeholders for new funders which could be added to the endorsed funders route via their online engagement platform.
To be eligible for the ‘Endorsed Funders Route’ the employment contract or hosting agreement of the applicant must have at least 2 years remaining at the time of application or endorsement. During the current COVID-19 pandemic however, the minimum project or contract length is 12 months. Institutions should familiarise themselves with the new process and can support applicants by providing the Award Letter and Statement of Guarantee.
Group discussions
The informal interactive part of the webinar focused on subscribers’ approaches around three specific areas:
- Horizon Europe communication strategies and UK-EU engagement planning
- New UK immigration and mobility rules and the impacts on EU-funded research projects
- Horizon Europe Implementation Strategy and ELOs’ views on novelties
A comprehensive summary of the break-out room discussions is available.
Next steps
UKRO will continue to provide subscribers with timely information on Horizon Europe developments, both through UKRO articles and dedicated events. At present we are continuing to publish our Horizon Europe novelties series of articles as well as continuing with our UKRO webinar series alongside our National Contact Point (NCP) information events.
The points raised by participants on the day will help us to plan our future activities. We will also share the recommendations with BEIS colleagues to inform the wider policy work and development of communications materials.
UKRO would like to thank the rapporteurs, UKRI speaker and all ELOs and research managers for their participation and active engagement.