European projects

We work closely with colleagues in other National Academies across Europe, as well as through medical academy networks such as FEAM  (the Federation for European Academies of Medicine). We collaborate closely to support the mechanisms for science advice in EU policy through contributions to SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) via the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism.  See below some of our recent collaborations and previous work.

Genetic testing and AI, Royal Irish Academy 

In partnership with the Royal Irish Academy, we convened stakeholders to discuss Genetic Testing and Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, regulation and governance. A report will be published in Autumn 2025. 

Childhood obesity, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei 

In collaboration with Italy's Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the UK Academy of Medical Sciences convened a policy workshop resulting in the report 'Early years interventions to tackle child obesity and promote lifelong health'. The report highlights a critical window of just 1,000 days – from pregnancy through to a child’s second birthday – as key to influencing weight patterns that can last a lifetime. 

Design of the next Framework Programme, FEAM  

In February 2024 we coordinated a joint workshop on the design of the next European Union R&I Framework Programme in Brussels, Belgium. The report discusses successes and challenges of Horizon Europe and sets out a vision for the next Framework Programme.  

The human microbiome, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 

In 2022, we collaborated with the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences to deliver the symposium ‘Our microbes, our health: Current research on the human microbiome’.  

Previous work

• Advocacy to ensure the UK was granted ‘data adequacy’ allowing EU organisations to continue to transfer personal data to the UK. The Academy supported the Federation of European Academies of Medicine to sign a statement alongside the NHS Confederation, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, the British Medical Association and more. EU Members States voted unanimously to grant the UK data adequacy in June 2021 - a crucial decision which was welcomed by our President.  

• Collaboration with Germany's National Academy for Sciences Leopoldina on patients with multiple serious diseases.

• A joint symposium on addiction with France's Académie Nationale de Médecine. 

• Warning about the potential negative impact of the EU Data Protection Regulation in 2015. 

• Ensuring the policy work of the Federation for European Academies of Medicine on the EU Clinical Trials Directive in 2010 was informed by the UK position. 

• Informing Medical Devices Regulation in 2013. 

The Academy supports the UK’s association to Horizon Europe and future Framework programmes. The UK’s continued engagement with European research programmes is essential for addressing global health challenges and maintaining our position at the forefront of curiosity-driven research and scientific discovery. 

The Academy stands firmly to support an ambitious Framework Programme 10 from 2027 – the next iteration of Horizon Europe. Success depends on protecting the principles that make European research funding so powerful: scientific independence, simplified access and robust international collaboration. Read our vision for Framework Programme 10 from our joint workshop with other European Academies and FEAM.  

We work to increase the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe by engaging with our networks through a participation webinar, in partnership with the AMRC. You can also read our six top tips for succeeding with Horizon Europe funding applications.  

We also collaborate with the other UK National Academies to support the Pump Priming schemes to seed collaborations for applications to specific Horizon Europe topics in Pillar 2 – global challenges. 

The UK's vote to leave the European Union on the 23 June 2016 was a profound challenge to the UK’s world-leading medical research environment. The Academy has worked consistently to shape a new UK-EU relationship which protects the people, funding and processes behind research.

Working with influential partners, we produced an extensive array of statements, consultation responses and research, and held regular meetings with a range of government minsters and senior officials. For example:

• Continually championing citizen's rights for the 25% of medical research staff working in UK universities as non-UK EU nationals .
• Repeatedly warning of the dangers of a no-deal Brexit through national print and broadcast media including a top-listed letter in The Times (2019).
• Championing an attractive and efficient immigration system, including taking researchers to Parliament, taking MPs to research institutes, submitting evidence on immigration to Parliament and the Government’s Migration Advisory Committee and collaborating across the UK national academies to repeatedly push the Home Secretary on the role of skilled research technicians and the risks of a £30,000 salary cap (2018 and 2019).
• Collaborating across the UK national academies to publish reports and case studies on the role of EU funding in UK research, the benefits of UK-EU collaboration in medical research, and the fundamental nature of cross-border movement to top UK scientists.
• Pushing for the closest possible association to Horizon Europe.

For full information on our Brexit activities, please visit our dedicated page on Research and the European Union.