British Universities and Research in the Era of Brexit

On June 23, 2016, the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, forever changing the course of both Britain and Europe’s futures. This unprecedented move, known as Brexit, has become one of the most consequential political events in modern European history. For the past few years, it has dominated European politics and thrown Britain into complete disarray. After two general elections, three prime ministers, tense negotiations, countless extensions, and 47 years of membership, the U.K. finally left the E.U. on January 31, 2020. Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to obtain a research grant which I used to study a question that was often overlooked: How Brexit would impact British universities and research? Over the course of three weeks, I interviewed students, faculty, and administrators from universities across the U.K., as well as the head of the European Commission’s directorate-general for education, youth, sport and culture in Brussels, Belgium. I learned that Brexit will likely have adverse effects on Britain’s researchers and universities. In this paper, I outline ways in which Brexit can, and has, effected British research. Britain is known for its first-class universities and research. But now, it is not clear if British academics will be able to collaborate with their European colleagues in the same way, which could slow the progress of British research across all subjects and disciplines. In terms of evidence, I will rely on news articles, as well as scholarly publications on Brexit. I will also incorporate some of the research I conducted during my time in Britain. The rest of this paper is divided into six parts. In the first part, I sketch the history of Brexit. Specifically, I consider why it came about, how it happened, and where things stand today. In the second part, I dicuss Britain’s academic prowess and its reliance on research done by universities. In the third and fourth part, I write about Brexit’s effects on British research funding. In the fifth, sixth, and seventh sections, I write about how Brexit will affect the flow of researchers, faculty, and students to British universities