Horizon return will boost Norfolk business - MP George Freeman

About 3,000 researchers and clinicians are based at the Norwich Research Park

The UK re-joining the EU's flagship scientific research scheme will create jobs, grow businesses and secure investment for Norfolk, leading researchers have said.

UK-based scientists and institutions are now able to apply for grants from the £81bn (€95bn) Horizon fund.

Scientists at the Norwich Research Park (NRP) said the government announcement injected confidence into the industry.

MP George Freeman said the move could open up opportunities for the area.

"I think it's the most exciting thing going on in our part of the world," said Mr Freeman, who represents Mid Norfolk and is Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology.

"The Norwich Research Park is a jewel in the crown of R&D [research and development] and the news opens up huge opportunities for us to grow local businesses and opportunities here."

• UK rejoins EU science research scheme Horizon

NRP is home to a number of world leading research institutions that specialise in sectors such as food, medicine and energy.

About 30,000 people are based at the park, including 17,000 students and 3,000 researchers and clinicians.

Prof Nick Talbot, from the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, said rejoining Horizon injects confidence into research sector

"It makes me feel more confident about the future, about the future of our young scientists here in the region," said Prof Nick Talbot, executive director of the Sainsbury Laboratory at the NRP.

"They can study in a situation that is international, where there's really high level collaboration and competition across Europe."

Associate membership of the Horizon research scheme had been agreed as part of the Brexit trade deal when the UK formally left the EU in 2020.

However, the UK has been excluded from the scheme for the past three years because of a disagreement over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

"I had been quite worried that the long-running nature of the discussions, the debates and the arguments might mean we never did re-join Horizon," said Dr Paul Kroon, Group Leader at the Quadram Institute at NRP.

"I'm absolutely delighted that we have this opportunity to remain part of this programme and work with European countries and go for joint funding."

The University of East Anglia (UEA) also welcomed the news.

Its Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Maguire, said Horizon was great for the UEA's "global academic reputation and reach of its pioneering research".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer agreed that re-joining Horizon was good for the UK but lamented the delay.

He said: "I think there's a sense that we've lost two years, that this should have happened two years ago and that's a big loss."