To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2018 to Question 171404 on Research: EU Grants and Loans, whether it is Government policy to include association to the Ninth EU Framework programme in the framework for the future relationship with the European Union.

The Government’s White Paper set out our ambition to agree a far-reaching science and innovation accord as part of our future relationship with the EU. This includes exploring association in research and innovation programmes, such as the Ninth EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (known as Horizon Europe).

As talks progress on the future relationship, we continue to work hard and at pace to deliver the best possible agreement on the Future Framework, which will be to the mutual benefit of both the UK and the EU.

The UK and the EU have been clear that the Withdrawal Agreement and the Future Framework form a package, and that ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’ - meaning that neither document can be considered final until this is true of both. With talks ongoing, we remain firmly on track to reach agreement on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Future Framework in the autumn.