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Lord Vallance and Marc Lemaître join celebration of 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s European collaborations through Horizon Europe as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival.

Hosted by 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ President Professor Hugh Brady, Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) and Vice-President (Strategic Engagement) Amanda Wolthiuzen, Minister Vallance and Mr Lemaître met with 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ researchers undertaking pioneering work that is being supported by European Framework Programmes.

From work on the future of sustainable food, to intelligently designing windfarms, to the possibility of using DNA as a storage medium for data, Minister Vallance and Mr Lemaître learned about how 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s community is working in close partnership with collaborators in Europe and beyond to push the boundaries of knowledge and drive impact across the continent.

"Britain is home to an outstanding science and research community, and boosted by our participation in Horizon Europe, we’re able to drive forward the kinds of research with international partners that will change lives and create opportunities here in the UK and all over the world." Lord Vallance Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear

The reception was also attended by senior stakeholders from European embassies, research-intensive European universities and UK research sector organisations, celebrating 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s highly valued and inter-connected relationships with institutions across Europe, both through programmes like Horizon Europe and through bilateral partnerships.

Professor Brady welcomed attendees and spoke about the immense value of European Framework Programmes to the 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ community, with this event embodying the spirit of shared scientific endeavour between the UK and the EU. He outlined that some of the most impactful research across 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ has been supported as a direct result of Horizon Europe and predecessor programmes, which have great power in connecting the best researchers across the continent and supporting the flow of people and ideas between the UK and continental Europe.

Professor Hugh Brady, President of 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ, said: “This event is a celebration of what happens when great researchers are given the freedom, the funding and the frameworks to work across borders. 

“EU Framework Programmes like Horizon Europe are not simply funding mechanisms. They are the architecture of a shared scientific endeavour. They bring together the best minds across Europe and beyond and allow us to share networks, knowledge and data to address the challenges that no single country, and no single institution, can solve alone - from climate and clean energy, to health, to the technologies like AI that will define the coming decades.”

Professor Hugh Brady, Lord Vallance and Marc Lemaître viewing research projects at 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ's South Kensington Campus.

Minister Vallance outlined that the UK’s participation in the Horizon Europe programme saw the largest year-on-year increase in 2024, following the UK’s full association to the programme. He also outlined that 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ was one of the UK’s top participants in the programme, and reflected the collaborations that were showcased in the reception clearly demonstrates the value of UK-EU collaboration in science and research.

"I was extremely pleased to see how you are thinking about bringing your research results further and making them benefit society, economic activity, and employment." Marc Lemaître European Commission Director-General for Research and Innovation

Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, said: “It’s no coincidence that the world’s top researchers – driving groundbreaking innovations in AI, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and clean energy – are choosing to come to the UK to advance their work.

"Britain is home to an outstanding science and research community, and boosted by our participation in Horizon Europe, we’re able to drive forward the kinds of research with international partners that will change lives and create opportunities here in the UK and all over the world."

Marc Lemaître, European Commission Director-General for Research and Innovation, said: “I was extremely pleased to see how you are thinking about bringing your research results further and making them benefit society, economic activity, and employment.

“We’ve heard that we have examples from the European Research Council and examples from the European Innovation Council. This is one area where we can get back closer with our UK partners, which no doubt will benefit everyone.”

Supporting international collaboration

Coinciding with the event, the UK Government has announced a new wave of 10 leading international researchers through the UKRI’s , supporting groundbreaking research in clean energy, life sciences and advanced technologies.   

The £54m Global Talent Fund was launched in June 2025 to attract world-class researchers and their teams working in key growth-driving sectors to the UK. 

The fund aims to ensure that the UK remains the destination of choice for international top talent by covering researchers’ relocation costs when setting up a presence in the UK and providing them with ongoing research funding for work taking place at UK universities, businesses, and research organisations.

911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ was selected last year as one of twelve research organisations which will receive a share of the Global Talent Fund to recruit the world’s top researchers. The university intends to use its funding to support up to four new academic groups across its four Faculties, with discussions underway in key areas such as space physics, AI, life sciences, and digital and technologies.

This wave of Global Talent Fund awardees comes as new figures from Horizon Europe show that the UK’s share of funding through the programme has risen to 9.3%. Participation has also increased, with the UK’s share of proposals rising from 18.9% to 24%.   

911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ has now been awarded 391 grants in the Horizon Europe programme, and is currently the UK university with the highest number of awards in Pillar II of the programme, which funds typically larger-scale, highly collaborative research projects.

The event was an early preview of this year’s , marking the 175th anniversary of the original Great Exhibition, which will see more than 100 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ research teams, and nearly 1,000 academic staff members and PhD students, deliver talks, workshops, exhibits and hands-on demonstrations for the public.

The festival, run in collaboration with the Science Museum, the V&A, Natural History Museum, the Royal Parks and other partners, will offer its usual mix of  cutting-edge research and artistic exploration, alongside a special strand of events this year examining the complex legacy of the original Great Exhibition.

Opportunities with Horizon Europe

The UK is an Associated Country to Horizon Europe, which means UK researchers can apply for Horizon Europe funding. 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ researchers looking to engage in Horizon Europe and to find out more about opportunities in Horizon Europe, please get in touch with the Research Office and the Enterprise Research Impact Management Office.