Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions he has had with Scottish universities and the Royal Society of Edinburgh on a future UK-EU science research framework.

We have pursued a wide-ranging programme of engagement, with both business and civil society stakeholders, since the Department was created, in order to hear and understand concerns.

As part of this, we’ve met a number of higher education institutions and groups, including Universities from Scotland and across the UK. I recently visited the University of Dundee alongside Lord Ian Duncan, and have also visited the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow.

The Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy hosts a Stakeholder Working Group on EU Exit, Universities, Research and Innovation that I attend on a regular basis.

Membership of the Group includes representatives from higher education, research and innovation funders, national academies, learned societies and business from around the UK.

The Government will work closely with the devolved administrations, including the Scottish Government, on the detail of proposals for collaboration with the EU on science and innovation, to ensure their priorities are taken into account.