Leaving EU would harm status of British universities - lobby group
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain must remain a member of the European Union if its higher education sector is to maintain its status, quality and research capabilities, a university lobby group said on Monday.
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain's ties with the EU and then, by the end of 2017, hold a referendum on whether the country should stay in the bloc.
A decision to leave the EU, known as "Brexit", would harm international academic collaboration, university chiefs and MPs from both Cameron's Conservatives and the Labour Party said at the launch of a university-led campaign to keep Britain in the bloc.
"This is about ensuring the future prosperity of the UK," said Julia Goodfellow, president-elect of Universities UK.
"It is about maximizing the chances of new discoveries that enhance our society, it's about tackling major challenges ... it's about the UK’s standing in the world, and above all it's about opportunities for British people now and in the future."
Goodfellow said British universities received around 1 billion pounds of EU research funding in 2013.
Eurosceptics criticised the group for coming out in favour of Britain's EU membership before Cameron had completed his renegotiation. The anti-EU UK Independence Party said the amount of funding many British academics received from the EU meant they were not an impartial voice in the debate.
But Conservative MP and former minister Damian Green dismissed this, saying those campaigning for 'out' suffered from "a delusional level of complacency" about the risks to Britain.
Those co-ordinating the wider campaign to keep Britain in the EU have said having a broad range of pro-European voices will be key to avoiding the perception that politicians and bankers are trying to bully voters into staying.
Labour's business spokesman Chuka Umunna said university leaders were some of the most trusted non-politics voices on Britain's EU membership.
"Given that we know the voices outside of politics are more persuasive than the ones in politics, I think it would make sense for a non-politician to head up the umbrella 'yes' campaign," he told the event.
Chancellor George Osborne, Cameron's lead negotiator on EU reform, met French ministers on Monday as part of a two-day diplomatic mission designed to win support for changes.
Britain's Independent on Sunday reported that Cameron wants to press ahead with the vote within the next 12 months, pencilling in a polling day for June 2016.
(Reporting by William James and Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
