In 2022, 4Sciences was commissioned by the British Academy to support the development of a UK-based alternative to the EU’s Horizon Europe programme – later named Pioneer. The project focused on designing funding schemes that enable multi-partner international collaborations with institutions across Europe and globally to provide UK researchers with a replacement to the Horizon Europe programme.
As part of this work, 4Sciences provided strategic advice on programme design, including the development of terms and conditions that align with both UK and international partner requirements. This included proposing alternatives to the UK’s full economic costing (fEC) methodology to better accommodate diverse institutional contexts.
Following the UK’s association with Horizon Europe, many of the recommendations – particularly around terms and conditions – have been integrated into the British Academy’s current award portfolio and continue to inform its international funding strategy.