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UK Seeks Science Collaboration Further Afield After EU Freeze

Boris Johnson and Jacinda Ardern ahead of their bilateral meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, on July 1.

Boris Johnson and Jacinda Ardern ahead of their bilateral meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, on July 1.

Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

The UK is rattling off a series of international science agreements with a message to the European Union: if you don’t want our money, we’ll do deals elsewhere. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed a memorandum of understanding with his New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, on Friday, aimed at easing UK access to the Pacific nation’s quantum and agricultural technology. The UK has already negotiated similar agreements with Israel, Switzerland and Canada -- as well as EU member Sweden, and is hoping to seal more with Japan, Singapore, South Korea and certain US states.