【Lee Do】

The Lee Dostate of science in the European Union has been thrown into uncertainty after the United Kingdom voted to leave the 28-member union Thursday in a referendum. 

The Brexit decision could have serious consequences for European and British scientists working in the UK and on the continent, including a drain of talent from the UK itself, according to researchers and organizations watching this decision.

"Our evidence showed that the UK’s EU membership was regarded as having a mostly positive influence on the effectiveness of UK science, research and innovation, especially with respect to funding and collaboration," Dominic Tildesley, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said in a statement.

From 2007 to 2013, the UK got 8.8 billion euros of the 107 billion euros spent on research innovation and development by the EU, a Royal Society report found. Staff from the EU comprise about 15 percent of the university workforce in the UK, and 5 percent of students, according to a report from Universities for Europe.

Researchers are now hoping to ensure science remains supported as the UK government works toward possibly leaving the EU.

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"In the past, UK science has been well supported by EU funding. This has been an essential supplement to UK research funds," Venki Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society, said. 

"In the upcoming negotiations we must make sure that research, which is the bedrock of a sustainable economy, is not short changed, and the Government ensures that the overall funding level of science is maintained."

A drain of scientific minds from the UK

With this referendum, scientists worry that kind of funding and support could eventually go away, making it harder for UK scientists to work and collaborate in EU countries and EU scientists to work in the UK. 

"Our first priority will be to convince the UK Government to take steps to ensure that staff and students from EU countries can continue to work and study at British universities in the long term, and to promote the UK as a welcoming destination for the brightest and best minds," Dame Julia Goodfellow, President of Universities UK, said in a statement.

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"They make a powerful contribution to university research and teaching and have a positive impact on the British economy and society. We will also prioritise securing opportunities for our researchers and students to access vital pan-European programmes and build new global networks."

Prominent scientists have also spoken out about the decision before and after the votes were counted. 

Before the referendum, famous cosmologist Stephen Hawking came out strongly against leaving the EU.

“Gone are the days when we could stand on our own, against the world,” Hawking said in an interview with ITV's Good Morning Britainin May. “We need to be part of a larger group of nations, both for our security and our trade."

Some scientists have also posted their thoughts about the referendum on Twitter.

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Researchers also responded to a Nature call asking for reactions to the referendum on Twitter.

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Science is global

The direct effects of the Brexit decision on space science -- and science more generally -- aren't quite clear yet. But the results of the referendum could make it more difficult for researchers to travel from place to place, doing science with ease.

And science is a global endeavor.

For example, some member countries in the EU are partners in the European Southern Observatory -- which operates a set of high-powered telescopes in South America -- or the European Space Agency. While those two organizations don't require membership in the EU, both "depend on international recruitment made easier by straightforward migration between countries," the Royal Astronomical Society said in a statement.

"We therefore urge the Government to ensure it remains straightforward for UK scientists to travel and work in EU countries, and for EU scientists to come to the UK."

According to a report from Imperial College London, academics working with the university have written more than 60,000 scientific papers "in collaboration with peers from other European countries." 

Many scientists working in the EU and UK did not appear to be in favor of the EU exit

In that same statement, Imperial's president Alice Gast and provost James Stirling said that they are now asking the UK government to clarify the "visa and fee status of non-UK European Union students, as well as other key policy areas for the College as the UK negotiates its future relationship with Europe," in the wake of the referendum decision.

At least ahead of the vote, many scientists working in the EU and UK did not appear to be in favor of the exit.

According to a Naturepoll of close to 2,000 scientists in the EU taken before the referendum vote, 83 percent of researchers polled said they wanted the UK to remain in the EU, while just 12 percent were in favor of an exit. Of the 666 likely voters polled by Nature, 78 percent of them said leaving the EU would hurt science in the UK.

"We must remember that whatever happens, science has no boundaries," John Zarnecki, president of the Royal Astronomical Society, said. 

"It is vital that we do not give the message, particularly to our younger colleagues, in the UK and beyond that our country is not a good place in which to do scientific research, however uncertain the economic and political environment is."

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