Senior scientists in Britain have reacted with dismay to the nation’s collective decision to walk away from EU that hands them nearly £1bn a year for research, and sends to their laboratories some of the most brilliant minds in the world.
The leave vote prompted immediate concerns for the future of staff and students from non-UK member states already at work in Britain, and the impact the result could have on the ability of leading institutions to attract the best overseas talent to the country. Paul Boyle, VC of leicester University, called the “shocking result” a “dark day for UK science” and called for every effort to be made to counter any impression that the UK had become less welcoming to international researchers.