ICYMI - A joint op-ed between Hans-Jochen Schiewer @UniFreiburg + President @German_U15 and myself as @RussellGroup Chair. We examine how important international collaboration will be between universities in shaping a #COVID19 recovery that works for all (1/n) https://twitter.com/timeshighered/status/1264105035463622656

German and UK collaborations are amongst the most prolific in @EU_H2020 - and joint publications between @RussellGroup and @German_U15 universities have much greater impact. A few more thoughts: (2/n)

Our universities are having a major impact on the fight against #COVIDー19 in the UK and Germany. Contributing to vaccine development, verifying and advancing testing technology, and driving clinical trials for repurposed drugs and screening new compounds. (3/n)

We work very closely with industry, including spin-outs from our own Universities. None of us know for how long we will need to co-exist with the virus. Investment in our research base will be key to providing resilience to our health system and economies (4/n)

Beyond biomedicine our universities have contributed massively to understanding the human and societal challenges which the pandemic is causing.If we are to recover from this crisis the U.K. and Germany must invest in Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences as well as science 5/n

Both Germany and the U.K. see higher R&D intensity as the key to our economic future. This is even more important to pay for the #COVIDー19 fiscal shock and address the next challenge eg climate change. Our article stresses how collaboration leverages these investments. (6/n)

German-UK collaboration can be driven by U.K. association to #HorizonEurope or by ensuring that there’s a bridge such collaborative funding as outlined in the Adrian Smith/ @GraemeTR review.Come what may the research base across our countries must continue to work together (7/n)

The crisis should be a stimulus for a new alliance between research universities and government to drive economic growth by backing the research base and bringing industry and innovators together to create high-value spin-out companies and the jobs that come with them (8/n)

Driving economic recovery + aiding societal recovery + developing resilience should be the common agenda between our research-intensive universities and our governments. (Ends)