More than cash is at risk from Brexit
MANY people in Wales are concerned about the potential loss of funding when the UK leaves the EU.
But it is not just cash that is at stake.
The Horizon 2020 programme has unlocked both funding and opportunities for pan-EU collaboration that have been grasped by universities and other bodies.
Cardiff University has received €30m, Swansea University €9m and Aberystwyth University €8m out of an overall tranche of €83m which has come to Wales.
The money is hugely welcome at a time of tightened public finances. It enables investment in research and training in areas with great growth potential, such as the integration of renewable energy with power systems.
But what doesn’t show up on a balance sheet is the impact of sharing knowledge, expertise and opportunities with the best minds in Europe.
The UK government has pledged to invest in research and development and there is talk of a UK Shared Prosperity Fund to replace the development funding which has ploughed billions of pounds into Wales.
But Wales will be impoverished if it becomes isolated and contact and collaboration with pioneers in science become less common.
Our best institutions already have a global vision but it is a priority for the likes of Cardiff University that Brexit does not unplug it from the most exciting programmes.
We have much to contribute to learning and innovation in a host of fields so our European partners will need to find ways to keep relationships going. But it will be a disaster for Wales if the tempo of collaboration slows and the partnerships with counterparts in the EU become rarer.
The race to develop technologies which will define the coming decades is becoming more competitive than ever.
It is not simply the case of trying to secure a patent ahead of a rival in Silicon Valley or Boston. Wales’ entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers now have to get across the finish line ahead of counterparts based in Beijing and Bangalore.
The skills problem in our schools and our poor productivity are major drawbacks, and anything that could hurt our research base should be avoided.
We cannot assume that everything will be fine after Brexit Day. Just as there is great cause to be concerned about the future of our ports if trade with Ireland is impeded, neither the Welsh Government nor Wales can be complacent about the risk our departure from the EU poses to our universities and high-tech businesses.
Champions of Brexit are excited by their vision of a Britain that has stronger global links than ever before.
The best way to make this a reality is not by weakening existing European relationships but by doing everything possible to bolster innovation and discovery and entrepreneurship.
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