Now, as part of the exit negotiations, the Government has published a paper on science and innovation in which it lays out a range of mechanisms and areas for future collaboration with European countries.
The Government also says the UK will continue to collaborate with European partners through international organisations that are not part of the EU, such as the EUREKA network and CERN.
According to Brexit Secretary David Davis: “This paper sends a clear message to the research and innovation community that we value its work and we feel it is crucial that we maintain collaboration with our European partners after we exit.”
The paper also focuses on the UK space sector, worth more than £11.8billion to the UK economy and employs at least 37,000 people.
Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “The UK and Europe have a long history of close collaboration to meet the world’s great challenges. It’s in our mutual benefit to maintain this successful partnership and this paper clearly outlines our desire to have a full and open discussion with the EU to shape our joint future.”
But has this commitment come too late for some? In the months following the Brexit referendum, European academics started to leave and UK institutions began to be sidelined by partners in European projects.