Hansard

It would be absolutely fantastic to have a consultation; and it would have been really good to have had the consultation before the four institutions in England were chosen, so that we could have taken part in the scheme. If the UK Government would like to take a step back and consult, that would be very welcome. We must be missing the letter in the mail that suggests that we could contribute with the four institutions that are currently taking part in the scheme.

Socrates or Erasmus exchanges for university students in Europe began almost 30 years ago. A recent impact study identified a range of benefits for Erasmus students, particularly around employability skills and levels of employment. Universities in Scotland are highly desirable destinations for Erasmus+ students from the rest of the EU. In 2014, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow were the top two universities in the whole of the UK for the number of Erasmus+ students. Retaining freedom of movement is a critical requirement for participation in Erasmus+.

Freedom of movement is important not only to students; it supports researchers’ collaborations and careers. Scotland has always looked beyond its own borders to the rest of the UK, Europe and beyond. Science and research are, by their very nature, international endeavours and have no respect for borders. Our universities and research institutions in Scotland are active and valued partners in a large number of research collaborations, many of which are underpinned by EU funding. I want to ensure that that continues.

Research collaboration is strongly linked to the second broad area that I wish to touch on, which is EU funding. EU funding benefits Scotland significantly by supporting jobs; delivering infrastructure; sustaining rural communities; and providing valuable support for the farming and fishing industries, businesses and—most relevant to this afternoon’s debate—our universities and colleges.

Over the past three decades, EU funding has become intertwined with the fabric of overall funding for education and employability. It has helped to deliver high-quality college courses that benefit students, society and our economy. Funding has also significantly contributed to the modernisation of our college estates to ensure that we have the state-of-the art facilities that learners need.

The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council has estimated that, in academic year 2015-16 alone, £11.6 million of European funding was made available to the college sector, supporting upskilling, the development of young people’s employability and student support. Together with funding from the Scottish funding council, that is estimated to support around 4,200 full-time equivalent college places. The potential loss of that EU funding in future would deal a serious blow to the levels of activity that colleges can deliver.

EU funding acts as an enabler of international collaboration to drive up the quality of our research and to encourage innovation. Horizon 2020, which was launched in 2014, is the EU’s main programme for funding research and innovation projects. Our universities are highly successful in securing funding from horizon 2020, attracting €185 million up to July this year. It has also been a major source of funding for our research institutes, which have been awarded an additional €18 million until the same date.

I welcome Commissioner Moedas’s confirmation that the UK remains fully eligible for horizon 2020 funding and that

“projects will continue to be evaluated based on merit and not on nationality.”

However, I am concerned to hear anecdotal evidence suggesting that the outcome of the EU referendum may already be having an impact on research collaborations. Within weeks of the referendum, Professor Sir Ian Diamond gave evidence to a House of Commons committee. He said:

“some researchers involved in European partnerships have already received word from their partners that they think it is better that the University of Aberdeen does not lead in the future.”

In the weeks following the referendum, I took action to agree a joint statement with Universities Scotland. Our published statement sets out our commitment to

“work together using our collective influence in Brussels and elsewhere to ensure that it is well understood that universities in Scotland remain committed to collaborating with our European partners and to attracting the best international talent.”

I welcome the UK Government’s guarantee on European funding, including horizon 2020, as far as it goes. However, the guarantee fails to take account of the impact of uncertainty on potential collaborations, as Professor Sir Ian Diamond highlighted, and it does not take account of the longer-term funding and other benefits that we otherwise would have received through continuing membership of the EU—for example, through future framework programmes. I firmly believe that the best way to guarantee European funding is by maintaining our relationship with the EU.

I will touch briefly on a third and final issue: our potential loss of influence in Europe. The challenges of having to comply with rules and regulations that are developed in Europe while not having a seat at the table are well documented. I believe that the same is true for the development of future funding programmes and policy direction in research and innovation. Should we leave the EU, Scotland would have no role in influencing or shaping European priorities.

Of course, there are some countries outwith the EU that benefit from EU funding, but they have no way of influencing EU priorities directly. Over the past decade, only 7 per cent of research money that is allocated by the EU and the European Research Council has gone to non-member states.

I am deeply concerned about the risk, to which the First Minister has referred, of

“a lost decade of uncertainty and turmoil”.

Scotland is, and always has been, an outward-looking nation. One of the key features of the Scottish enlightenment was its openness and commitment to share, spread and challenge ideas and norms. At a time when we find ourselves in such uncharted territory, it is good to remember those principles in thinking about how we chart a course for Scotland’s future relationship with the EU.

We are at the start of that process, but I strongly believe that we must work creatively, positively and constructively, feeding into negotiations to agree a way forward and to shape a future that reflects and respects the interests of our existing and future staff and students. In that spirit, I urge all members to support the motion in my name.

I move,

That the Parliament recognises the benefits of EU membership to Scotland and that Scotland’s interests are best served by protecting Scotland’s existing relationship in Europe, maintaining membership of the single market and access to the free movement of labour; welcomes the Scottish Government’s reassurance on the tuition fee status of continuing EU students and those beginning an undergraduate course in 2016; acknowledges Scotland’s success to date in securing EU funding and recognises the benefits that this brings to Scottish universities and colleges; notes that the outcome of the EU referendum potentially makes it harder to attract EU students to study in Scotland, to maintain opportunities for Scottish students and academics in Europe and to collaborate across Europe; resolves to promote Scotland’s willingness to continue to collaborate with European partners and to attract the best international talent to maintain the world-class reputation of Scottish universities and colleges, and calls on the UK Government to ensure that Scotland has a role in decision-making, as well as full involvement in all negotiations between the UK Government and the EU, to protect the interests of staff and students in Scotland’s universities and colleges.