{"id":81958,"date":"2017-06-27T10:53:51","date_gmt":"2017-06-27T10:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=da84d00ad6771c40b50cbad7e4934cbe"},"modified":"2017-06-27T10:53:51","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T10:53:51","slug":"press-release-government-commits-to-continue-funding-its-share-of-europes-flagship-uk-based-nuclear-fusion-research-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=81958","title":{"rendered":"Press release: Government commits to continue funding its share of Europe\u2019s flagship UK-based nuclear fusion research facility"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"govspeak\">\n<div class=\"call-to-action\">\n<ul>\n<li>government pledges to meet its fair share of funding for the <abbr title=\"Joint European Torus project\">JET<\/abbr> project until the end of 2020<\/li>\n<li>payment assured if the EU extends the UK\u2019s contract to host the Oxfordshire-based facility beyond 2018<\/li>\n<li>announcement underlines government commitment to maintain high quality research in the UK and continued collaboration with EU partners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>The government has signalled its willingness to maintain research collaboration with European partners after the UK leaves the EU by committing to underwrite UK funding for the Joint European Torus (<abbr title=\"Joint European Torus project\">JET<\/abbr>) project, the Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark has announced today (27 June 2017).<\/p>\n<p>Subject to the EU extending the UK\u2019s contract to host the world-class nuclear fusion facility beyond 2018, the UK has agreed to underwrite its fair share of <abbr title=\"Joint European Torus project\">JET<\/abbr>\u2019s running costs, which is based at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire.<\/p>\n<p>The move supports the UK\u2019s ambition to be the go-to place for scientists and innovators across the world, and secure the right outcome for the UK\u2019s research base as we exit the EU.<\/p>\n<p>Business Secretary Greg Clark said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><abbr title=\"Joint European Torus project\">JET<\/abbr> is a prized facility at the centre of the UK\u2019s global leadership in nuclear fusion research, which is why the government is taking every possible step to secure its future and to maintain highly-skilled jobs in the UK.<\/p>\n<p class=\"last-child\">Combined with our Industrial Strategy and investment of \u00a34.7 billion for research and development, today\u2019s funding commitment highlights the importance we place on this partnership and our desire for this valuable work to continue uninterrupted.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The <abbr title=\"Joint European Torus project\">JET<\/abbr> project is home to the world\u2019s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion reactor and has led global efforts to develop a clean, safe energy source. It supports 1,300 jobs in the UK, 600 of which are highly skilled scientists and engineers.<\/p>\n<p>Science Minister Jo Johnson said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>For nearly half a century, the UK has hosted national and international researchers who have brought us closer to realising one of science\u2019s greatest prizes \u2013 a clean, safe and virtually inexhaustible energy source.<\/p>\n<p class=\"last-child\">Our exit from the EU has not altered our desire and willingness for the UK to continue playing a leading role in furthering our scientific understanding, and today\u2019s announcement aims to provide the necessary reassurance for us to continue this partnership.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The UK\u2019s contract to maintain and run the <abbr title=\"Joint European Torus project\">JET<\/abbr> project is managed by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (<abbr title=\"UK Atomic Energy Authority\">UKAEA<\/abbr>) and is due to end in December 2018. As part of this contract, the EU currently provides around \u00a360 million of funding per year, which represents 88% of <abbr title=\"Joint European Torus project\">JET<\/abbr>\u2019s running costs. The UK\u2019s commitment to continue funding the facility will apply should the EU approve extending the UK\u2019s contract to host the facility until 2020. A discussion will then take place on the appropriate funding split.<\/p>\n<p>Professor Ian Chapman, <abbr title=\"Chief Executive Officer\">CEO<\/abbr> of <abbr title=\"UK Atomic Energy Authority\">UKAEA<\/abbr> said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"last-child\">International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (<abbr title=\"International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor\">ITER<\/abbr>) is the largest scientific endeavour mankind has ever undertaken and <abbr title=\"Joint European Torus project\">JET<\/abbr> is undoubtedly the best place in the world to prepare for <abbr title=\"International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor\">ITER<\/abbr>\u2019s successful operation. <abbr title=\"UK Atomic Energy Authority\">UKAEA<\/abbr> are pleased that the UK Government is committed to exploiting <abbr title=\"Joint European Torus project\">JET<\/abbr> as we prepare to break fusion records in the next few years.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Today\u2019s announcement follows previous UK commitments to continue European research collaboration. In 2016, the government announced UK businesses and universities should continue to bid for competitive EU funds, such as the EU\u2019s Horizon 2020 research programme, while the UK remains a member of the EU, and the government will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded &#8211; even when specific projects continue beyond the UK\u2019s departure from the EU.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Government pledges to meet its fair share of funding for the JET project until the end of 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81958"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81958\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}