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The future of the Joint European Torus, the world-leading fusion facility near Oxford, U.K., remains uncertain beyond its current contract which ends in 2018.

EUROfusion

By Erik StokstadMar. 13, 2017 , 5:30 PM

CAMBRIDGE, U.K.For months after the United Kingdom voted last June to leave the European Union, many British scientists clung to hopes of a soft Brexit, which would not cut them off from EU funding and collaborators. But Prime Minister Theresa May, who is expected to trigger the 2-year process of exiting the European Union in coming days, has signaled the break will be sharp. U.K. researchers are now facing up to the prospect that they wont be able to apply for EU funding or easily recruit students and colleagues from the rest of Europe. People are bracing themselves for a bumpier and more abrupt landing, says James Wilsdon, a science policy expert at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.

To lessen the blow to research, scientists and bureaucrats are already brainstorming about new funding structures and international collaborations that could make up for the lost EU money and brainpower. They are also taking some comfort in a major boost to government R&D funding, detailed last week, aimed at building up research areas that could bolster domestic industries. Yet much uncertainty hangs on what are expected to be rancorous negotiations with the European Union, covering issues such as the right of foreign citizens to remain in the United Kingdom and a possible exit bill from Brussels. We live in a kind of limbo, says Giorgio Gilestro, an Italian neuroscientist at Imperial College London (ICL).

The stakes are high for the United Kingdom, which is a scientific powerhouse and a magnet for talent. Between 2007 and 2013, U.K. researchers brought home more than 7 billion in EU research funding, second only to Germany. Cash from Brussels made up nearly 10% of research funding at U.K. universities in 2013, an increase of 68% since 2009. The United Kingdoms prominence as an international hub was made clear this week when a new analysis of mobility of high-skill professionals, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, found that the country was four times more highly networked than the average for Europe.

May has said repeatedly that maintaining the United Kingdoms scientific prowess is a priority, but a more immediate worry to the government is industrial competitiveness, as a hard Brexit is likely to mean a departure from the EU common market. To kick-start or boost industries, particularly in biomedicine and technology, the government launched a new Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund in November 2016. It will spend an extra 4.7 billion on applied research, to be delivered in rising sums over the next 4 years, which amounts to a 23% increase in government R&D spendingthe biggest since 1979. I was flabbergasted, recalls Kieron Flanagan, a science policy expert at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

Last week, the first details on spending were revealed. This years tranche consists of 270 million for research on robotics, electric vehicle batteries, and drug manufacturing technology. Another 300 million will be spent on fellowships for early- and midcareer scientists, grants to attract foreign scientists, and support for an additional 1000 Ph.D. students in fields relevantto the industrial strategy.

In 2020the year after Brexit presumably will occurthe challenge fund will disburse 2 billion, exceeding the 1.6 billion a year the United Kingdom currently gets from Brussels for R&D. But some scientists fear that blue sky research will get left out. It would be crazy to simultaneously boost applied research and allow fundamental research to wither on the vine, says Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society in London.

After Brexit, U.K. researchers will likely not have access to EU funds that have promoted collaborations.

CREDITS: (Graphic) J. You/Science; (Data) Scopus

One bright spot: The research community will have an influential advocate in 2018 after a reorganization of the six research funding councils into UK Research and Innovation. Its director-to-be, Mark Walport, was most recently the chief government science adviser, and will oversee 6.8 billion a year in science and innovation spending. There is great potential for science to have a greater profile in government and [in] negotiations with the European Union about the terms of Brexit, says Sarah Main, director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, a lobbying group in London.

Some urge recreating the most cherished aspects of EU funding within the United Kingdom. Grants from the European Research Council (ERC), in particular, are prized for their size and long duration, and because the work does not need to show societal relevance. The United Kingdom has received about 200 million a year in ERC fundingmore than any other country. Another hope is to make up for the expected loss of talent from the European Union by easing entry for scientists from the United States, China, and elsewhere. Were going to have to recruit from the entire world, says Venki Ramakrishnan, who heads the Royal Society, which is pushing for immigration reform. Skeptics say any loosening of visa regimes is unlikely when the government has vowed to reduce immigration overall.

A related approach is fostering non-EU international collaborations. Efforts are already underway: In 2013, the research councils signed a 5-year agreement with the U.S. National Science Foundation to allow scientists in both countries to submit joint proposals in social sciences. A year later, the United Kingdom launched the Newton Fund, which will spend 735 million over 7 years for research partnerships supporting economic development in China, Brazil, India, and more than a dozen other countries. But details are scarce.

Some applied researchers may be celebrating their bonanza, but many other scientists are gloomy. The next 5 to 10 years are all about damage limitation, says Stephen Curry, a structural biologist at ICL. Its deeply depressing.

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U.K. scientists prepare for impending break with European Union ... - Science Magazine

In lets-all-take-a-step-backwards news, the European Unions highest court ruled this week that employers in Europe can legally ban hijabs at the office.

On Tuesday, a court in Luxembourg ruled it was legal to bar women from wearing hijabsas long as the company has a policy that bans all religious garb. While technically the ruling applies to symbols across religions and political bents, it comes in the midst of a European election season during which feelings toward Islamism have been under the microscope and conservative politicians have been gaining popularity, reports The Guardian .

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Though not official, the ruling feels especially tailored to Muslim women. The decision comes as the result of two separate lawsuitsboth by Muslim women. In the first, a Belgian woman was fired from a security company where shed worked for three years when she started wearing a hijiab. The company said shed broken unwritten rules on religious symbols at work, according to The Guardian . In the second suit, a Muslim woman in France was fired from a tech firm after a customer claimed his employees were embarrassed" by the hijab she wore during a presentation. In this case, the court ruled in her favor, stating customers cannot ask an employee to remove a head scarf unless the company has a policy against them already in place. Last summer, French municipalities sparked outrage when Muslim women were prohibited from wearing swimwear that covers the body and the head, better known as the burkini.

Considering the current social climate around hijabsespecially in the global arenas of fashion and sports this seems like a major step backward. This year, Somali-American Halima Aden made history as the first Muslim model to walk in fashion week wearing a hijab, hitting runways from new-school Yeezy to old-school Alberta Ferretti (and before that she made history as the first contestant to wear a burkini in a beauty pageant). In the world of sports, Nike made major news earlier this month by announcing plans to release a sports-friendly hijab , leveling the playing field for Muslim athletes.

With the EUs ruling in the mix, it looks like two steps forward and one step back when it comes to fighting hijab-based discrimination.

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The European Union Just Ruled Employers Can Legally Ban Hijabs at Work - Allure Magazine

The European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy have today adopted a Joint Communication proposing a forward- looking EU strategy for Syria. As called for by President Juncker in his State of the Union speech in September 2016, the Communication defines how the European Union can play a stronger role in contributing to a lasting political solution in Syria under the existing UN-agreed framework. It also looks at how the EU can continue its assistance to over 13 million people in need in Syria, help build resilience and stability in the country, and support post-agreement reconstruction and the voluntary, dignified and safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons once a credible political transition is underway.

The High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini said: "The Joint Communication adopted today strengthens not only our current engagement and support for a political solution to the war as the only way we can bring peace back to Syria, but also what the European Union could do in a post-agreement context in which reconstruction can start. And there is much the European Union is ready to do, together with the United Nations and the rest of the international community. The Syrians want peace, they deserve it, as they want and deserve to finally have the possibility to shape the future of their country. We are at their side to support the future of Syria."

As outlined in the Joint Communication, the European Union's engagement in Syria goes beyond the current state of play. It is defined by a longer term perspective in support of the EU's strategic goals on Syria. The Syrian people deserve a united, democratic, diverse, inclusive and territorially integral country. A stable, strong and secure Syria will be rebuilt provided that a political settlement in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the Geneva Communiqu is reached.

The Joint Communication comes at a crucial moment for Syria, as we mark the 6th year of the conflict and with the resumption of the UN-led talks in Geneva, supported by a ceasefire mechanism established as a result of the Astana talks. The Communication reiterates the European Union's direct support for the UN process, notably through ongoing political dialogue with regional actors under the EU regional initiative on the future of Syria and ongoing work to strengthen both the Syrian political opposition and civil society organisations.

The European Union will continue to be the first and leading donor in the international response to one of the worst humanitarian crises since World War II. Since the outbreak of the conflict, the EU has mobilised over 9.4 billion, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and resilience support to the Syrian people and neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees.

The Joint Communication presents the current political, security and humanitarian context in Syria and the state of play of the EU's assistance in response to the Syria crisis. It contains an assesment of the risks and threats posed by the continuation of the war to the EU's core interests, regional and global stability, as well as the definition of a set of clear objectives for the EU's policy for Syria, which include:

As a next step, the Communication proposes clear lines of action to implement these objectives, in close coordination with regional partners and international organisations, and to continue the diplomatic work and post-agreement planning in order to ensure that international support is ready, coordinated and can be delivered effectively when the appropriate moment comes.

High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini will present the Joint Communication to EU Foreign Ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council on 3 April; it will also be presented to the European Parliament. The Communication will also serve as an important input for the Brussels Conference "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region on 5 April 2017 that the EU will co-chair with the UN, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and the United Kingdom.

Background

The European Union's last strategy on Syria was adopted in March 2015 as part of the EU Regional Strategy for Syria and Iraq as well as the ISIL/Da'esh threat. The Joint Communication represents the review of the Syria-related aspects of the Regional Strategy that was last reviewed and updated by the Council in May 2016.

In his 2016 State of the Union address, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "I call today for a European Strategy for Syria. So that Europe can help rebuild a peaceful Syrian nation and a pluralistic, tolerant civil society in Syria."

For more information

Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council: Elements for an EU Strategy for Syria

Factsheet: The EU and the crisis in Syria

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Towards an even stronger EU role for Syria, reinforcing EU efforts to build peace - EU News

Charlotte Observer

Bank of America eyeing new European Union base after Brexit Charlotte Observer Bank of America views Dublin as its default destination for a new hub inside the European Union if Brexit means Britain loses easy access to the single market, according to one of the firm's top executives in Germany. The Charlotte bank will likely ... and more »

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Bank of America eyeing new European Union base after Brexit - Charlotte Observer

(Business in Cameroon) - The city of Maroua hosted on 9 March 2017 the official launch of the Livestock Productivity Improvement Support Project (PAPE) in the Far North region of Cameroon.

With a duration of three years and costing a total of 890,000 Euros, the project is supported by the European Union to the tune of 800,000 Euros (over FCfa 500 million). PAPE comes as a response to the numerous problems faced by the agricultural and livestock systems in northern Cameroon. It is meant to strengthen the capacity of the players in the sector to improve the productivity in livestock activity, boost availability, access and the smooth and inclusive management of livestock resources and infrastructure. PAPA will moreover facilitate the rehabilitation of livestock markets and promote governance in the livestock trading system.

Through this support, the EU expresses the importance it attributes to the development of rural areas in general, and in particular, to the recovery of the economy in the Far North, a region which, these past years, has been experiencing a slowdown in the agricultural and livestock activities, declared the Chief-Ambassador of the European Union delegation in Cameroon, Franoise Collet.

S.A

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The European Union supports agricultural and livestock activities in the Far North region of Cameroon - Business in Cameroon