经济学人：英国可能重新加入欧盟“Horizon”研发计划

据英国金融时报：英国首相苏纳克将把英国是否应该重新加入欧盟的“地平线”(Horizon)科学计划的决定推迟到夏季假期之后，该计划总规模为955亿欧元

Rishi sunak claims to want to promote British science and research.

里希·苏纳克声称想要促进英国的科学和研究。

The prime minister rightly says the country has great strengths in areas that range from artificial intelligence to life sciences,

首相表示，该国在从人工智能到生命科学的各个领域都拥有巨大的优势，

though it also faces some obstacles.

尽管它也面临着一些障碍。

One of these is its post-Brexit absence from Horizon, the EUropean Union's (and the world's) biggest collaborative research programme.

其中之一是它在英国脱欧后没有参加欧盟最大的——也是世界最大的——合作研究项目地平线(Horizon)。

The Brexit trade agreement signed in late 2020 by Boris Johnson, Mr Sunak's predecessor but one,

苏纳克的前任鲍里斯·约翰逊在2020年末签署了英国脱欧贸易协定，

provided for Britain to remain associated with Horizon.

规定英国将继续与Horizon保持联系。

But the plan for this fell through because of a fierce row over the Brexit terms for Northern Ireland.

但由于对北爱尔兰脱欧条款的激烈争论，该计划失败了。

When Mr Sunak settled the Northern Irish question in the Windsor framework, in February, the EU repeated its promise of an early deal on Horizon.

今年2月，当苏纳克在温莎框架内解决北爱尔兰问题时，欧盟重申了早日就Horizon达成协议的承诺。

Although the terms for this were broadly agreed on by early July, nothing was settled.

尽管到7月初，各方就相关条款达成了广泛共识，但没有达成任何协议。

Mr Sunak's decision whether to associate with Horizon may come soon.

对于是否与Horizon合作，苏纳克先生可能很快就会做出决定。

British scientists are clamouring to get back as soon as possible, but for Mr Sunak there seem to be three arguments against.

英国科学家呼吁尽快回到Horizon，但对于苏纳克先生来说，似乎有三个反对的理由。

One is a value-for-money concern that, after missing out on two years of Horizon's current seven-year cycle,

一个是性价比的问题，在错过了Horizon当前7年周期中的两年之后，

the Treasury might end up paying in more than it gets out.

财政部可能最终入不敷出。

The second is a desire for Britain to control its own research programme, rather than outsource a chunk to Brussels.

二是希望英国控制自己的研究项目，而不是将大量研究项目外包给布鲁塞尔。

And the third is a dislike among hardline Tory Brexiteers for any closer links to the EU.

第三个是强硬的保守党脱欧派不喜欢与欧盟建立更紧密的联系。

None of these stands up to scrutiny.

所有这些都经不起推敲。

On value for money, Britain's strong research base has in the past made it a big net beneficiary of Horizon.

在物有所值方面，英国强大的研究基础过去使其成为Horizon的一大净受益者。

A provision also exists for financial adjustment to compensate for the years it has missed.

还有一项财务调整的规定，以补偿它错过的年份。

It is anyway wrongheaded to treat a programme like Horizon in zero-sum terms.

无论如何，用零和游戏来看待Horizon这样的项目并不合理。

Its biggest advantage lies in the cross-fertilisation of ideas that benefits all participants, no matter which countries are paying in.

它最大的优势在于思想的交叉交流，使所有参与者受益，无论是哪个国家在出资。

Its main output is research, not money.

它的主要产出是研究成果，而不是钱。

Taking back control has superficial appeal, and the government is trumpeting its planned Britain-only project, Pioneer,

夺回控制权在表面上是有吸引力的，政府正在鼓吹其计划中的仅在英国开展的先锋项目，

as a fallback if it does not join Horizon.

如果不加入Horizon，它将作为备选方案。

Yet Britain has a poor record of government support for research.

然而，英国在政府支持研究方面的记录并不好。

A domestic programme cannot match either the size or the collaboration offered by Horizon,

国内项目既无法与Horizon的规模相提并论，也无法与Horizon提供的合作项目相比较。

which has the added advantage of a seven-year budget that cannot easily be raided by grasping finance ministries.

后者还有一个额外的优势，那就是它有一个7年的预算，不会轻易被财政部窃取。

As for dislike of the EU, even fervent Brexiteers should see Horizon in a more positive light.

至于不喜欢欧盟，即使是狂热的退欧人士也应该从更积极的角度看待Horizon。

Hardliners often argued that Britain could keep many benefits of membership despite leaving the club.

强硬派经常辩称，尽管英国退出了俱乐部，但仍可以保留成员国身份的许多好处。

It would be difficult to find a better example of how this can be done than Horizon.

很难找到比Horizon更好的例子来说明如何做到这一点。

The programme's strengths have persuaded many non-EU members, from Israel to Ukraine, to sign up as associates.

该计划的优势已经说服了许多非欧盟成员国，从以色列到乌克兰，都签约成为伙伴。

New Zealand has just joined.

新西兰刚刚加入。

Canada and Japan hope to follow.

加拿大和日本希望能在之后加入。

That makes Britain's absence look odder still.

这让英国的缺席看起来更加奇怪。

Perhaps the hardliners calculate that a failure to rejoin Horizon would severely dent wider hopes for improved relations between Britain and the EU.

也许强硬派认为，未能重新加入Horizon将严重挫伤英国与欧盟改善关系的希望。

If the two sides cannot agree over Horizon, which is in the Brexit trade deal, what hope is there of other new agreements?

如果双方不能就英国退欧贸易协议中的Horizon达成一致，那么其他新协议还有什么希望呢?

Yet Mr Sunak and the opposition leader, Sir Keir Starmer, both claim to want better arrangements in such areas as the movement of people,

然而，Sunak先生和反对党领袖Keir Starmer爵士都声称希望在人员流动、

trade in electric vehicles and technical standards.

电动汽车贸易和技术标准等领域做出更好的安排。

Researchers and universities say the delay over Horizon has already had a cost in lost grants and weaker cross-border collaboration.

研究人员和大学表示，Horizon项目的延迟已经造成了拨款的损失和跨境合作的减弱。

Rejoining would help attract investment and talent from abroad.

重新加入将有助于吸引海外投资和人才。

Going it alone would not.

单枪匹马是不行的。

If Mr Sunak is serious about supporting British science, he should stop dithering and sign up to Horizon without delay.

如果苏纳克认真支持英国科学，他应该停止犹豫，立即与Horizon签约。

重点词汇

EUropean Union 欧洲联盟

collaborative research 合作研究 ; 协同研究

trade agreement 贸易协议

Boris Johnson 鲍里斯·约翰逊 ; 伦敦市长 ; 伦敦市长鲍里斯约翰逊 ; 伦敦市长约翰逊

associated with 与…有关 ; 与…相联系

plan for 计划 ; 为…作安排

fell through 失败了 ; 落空 ; 未能实现

because of 因为 ; 因为，由于

row over 一路领先

Northern Ireland 北爱尔兰