Mr Michel Barnier Chief Negotiator Task Force for the Preparation The Chairman and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Prof. Dr. Tobias Bonhoeffer

Kingdom under Article 50 TEU Office of the Scientific Council Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200 Ela Steiner-Brembor 1049 Brussels Belgium Tel.: +49 (0)89 2108-1349 Email: [email protected] Rt Hon David Davis, MP

Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Department for Exiting the European Union 9 Downing Street London, SW1A 2AG UK

Dr Christian Ehler, MEP 15E264 Bâtiment Altiero Spinelli European Parliament 60 Rue Wiertz 1047 Brussels Belgium

Ms Anja Karliczek Federal Minister for Education and Research Heinemannstraße 2 und 6 53175

Mr Carlos Moedas Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation European Commission Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200 1049 Brussels Belgium

Dr Dan Nica, MEP 10G115 Bâtiment Altiero Spinelli European Parliament 60 Rue Wiertz 1047 Brussels Belgium

Büro des Wissenschaftlichen Rates: Ela Steiner-Brembor Tel. +49 89 2108–1349 [email protected]

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. Postfach 10 10 62 80084 München Deutschland

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19 June 2018

Dear Mr Michel Barnier, dear Rt Hon David Davis MP, dear Dr Christian Ehler MEP, dear Federal Minister Anja Karliczek, dear Commissioner Moedas, and dear Dr Dan Nica MEP,

We the 153 undersigned Max Planck Directors write to share our view on the importance of securing a strong Brexit deal on science and innovation to support European science. It is important to find a way for the UK to participate in Horizon Europe as an associated country, and for researchers to move as freely as possible between the UK and EU.

The EU needs more scientific collaboration, not less, to address the great challenges of our time, such as climate change, infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance, and aging societies to ensure Europe competes strongly with the rest of the world. To this end we must continue to work as closely as possible with our colleagues in the UK. Collaborating together, and competing for excellence-based European Research Council funding, improves European research.

Together the EU has built the Framework Programmes, which have proved to be an excellent system to foster scientific collaboration. We are pleased that the proposal for Horizon Europe would allow the UK to participate as an associated country. This will enable the deepest collaboration possible for a non-Member State, and it is important that this be maintained through the EU legislative process.

World-leading research is only possible thanks to people and their ideas. Exchanges of hypotheses and their experimental tests occur via students, postdoctoral scholars and investigators working together. It is therefore essential that researchers are able to move as easily as possible between the UK and EU after Brexit.

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The UK has set out its desire for a “far-reaching Science and Innovation Pact” including Associated Country status, and supported by research mobility. This should make it possible to reach a pragmatic agreement on science and innovation quickly and thereby provide certainty to the research community. We hope that in your on-going negotiations and in the Horizon Europe legislation you will find a way to achieve this outcome. It is in the best interest of our research, European science, and therefore ultimately society at large.

Yours sincerely,

Asifa Akhtar Peter Benner Director Director MPI of Immunobiology and MPI for Dynamics of Complex Epigenetics Technical Systems Freiburg Magdeburg

Ali Alavi Elisabeth Binder Director Director MPI for Solid State Research MPI of Psychiatry Stuttgart Munich

Rudolf Amann Immanuel Bloch Director Director MPI for Marine Microbiology MPI of Quantum Optics Bremen Garching

Ralph Bock Markus Antonietti Director Director MPI of Molecular Plant MPI of Colloids and Interfaces Physiology Potsdam-Golm Potsdam-Golm

Ian-Thomas Baldwin Thomas Boehm Director Director MPI for Chemical Ecology MPI of Immunobiology and Jena Epigenetics Freiburg Wolfgang Baumeister Director Tobias Bonhoeffer MPI of Director Martinsried MPI of Neurobiology Martinsried Ulrich Becker Director Mischa Bonn MPI for Social Law and Social Director Policy MPI for Polymer Research Munich Mainz

Ralf Bender Stephan Borrmann Director Director MPI for Extraterrestrial MPI for Chemistry Physics Mainz Garching

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Alexander Borst Lorraine Daston Director Director MPI of Neurobiology MPI for the History of Science Martinsried Berlin

Nils Brose Serena DeBeer Director Director MPI for Experimental MPI for Chemical Energy Medicine Conversion Göttingen Mülheim an der Ruhr

Jens Brüning Winfried Denk Director Director MPI for Metabolism Research MPI of Neurobiology Martinsried

Christian Döller Heinrich H. Bülthoff Director Director MPI for Human Cognitive and MPI for Biological Cybernetics Brain Sciences Tübingen Leipzig

Paola Caselli Josef Drexl Director Director MPI for Extraterrestrial MPI for Innovation and Physics Competition Garching Munich

Andrea Cavalleri Nicole Dubilier Director Director MPI for the Structure and MPI for Marine Microbiology Dynamics of Matter Bremen Hamburg Gregor Eichele Ignacio Cirac Director Director MPI for Biophysical Chemistry MPI of Quantum Optics Göttingen Garching Tobias Erb Elena Conti Director Director MPI for Terrestrial MPI of Biochemistry Microbiology Martinsried Marburg

George Coupland Reinhard Fässler Director Director MPI for Plant Breeding MPI of Biochemistry Research Martinsried Cologne Simon E. Fisher Iain D. Couzin Director Director MPI for Psycholinguistics MPI for Ornithology Nijmegen (NL) Radolfzell David Fitzpatrick Patrick Cramer Director Director MP Florida Institute for MPI for Biophysical Chemistry Neuroscience Göttingen Jupiter, Florida (USA)

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Marie-Claire Foblets Chris Hann Director Director MPI for Social Anthropology MPI for Social Anthropology Halle (Saale) Halle (Saale) Bill Hansson Ute Frevert Director Director MPI for Chemical Ecology MPI for Human Development Jena Berlin Franz-Ulrich Hartl Angela Friederici Director Director MPI of Biochemistry MPI of Human Cognitive and Martinsried Brain Sciences Leipzig Gerald Haug Director Pascal Fries MPI for Chemistry Director Mainz Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience Per Helander (in cooperation with Max- Director Planck-Society) MPI for Plasma Physics Frankfurt am Main Garching

Alois Fürstner David Heckel Director Director MPI für Kohlenforschung MPI for Chemical Ecology Mülheim an der Ruhr Jena

Manfred Gahr Moritz Helmstaedter Director Director MPI for Ornithology MPI for Brain Research Seewiesen Frankfurt am Main

Reinhard Genzel Stephan Herminghaus Director Director MPI for Extraterrestrial MPI for Dynamics and Self- Physics Organization Garching Göttingen

Jonathan Gershenzon Ralph Hertwig Director Director MPI for Chemical Ecology MPI for Human Development Jena Berlin

Rudolf Grosschedl Reto M. Hilty Director Director MPI of Immunobiology and MPI for Innovation and Epigenetics Competition Freiburg Munich

Helmut Grubmüller Anthony Hyman Director Director MPI for Biophysical Chemistry MPI of Molecular Cell Göttingen and Dresden Peter Hagoort Director MPI for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen (NL)

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Reinhard Jahn Elisabeth Knust Director Director MPI for Biophysical Chemistry MPI of Molecular Cell Biology Göttingen and Genetics Dresden Thomas Jenuwein Director Ferenc Krausz MPI of Immunobiology and Director Epigenetics MPI of Quantum Optics Freiburg Garching

Frank Jülicher Kurt Kremer Director MPI for Polymer Research MPI for Physics of Complex Mainz Systems Dresden Werner Kühlbrandt Director Regine Kahmann MPI of Director Frankfurt am Main MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology Katharina Landfester Marburg Director MPI for Polymer Research Stefan H. E. Kaufmann Mainz Director MPI for Infection Biology Thomas Langer Berlin Director MPI for Biology of Ageing Bernhard Keimer Cologne Director MPI for Solid State Research Gilles Laurent Stuttgart Director MPI for Brain Research Christoph Keitel Frankfurt am Main Director MPI for Nuclear Physics Walter Leitner Director Klaus Kern MPI for Chemical Energy Director Conversion MPI for Solid State Research Mülheim an der Ruhr Stuttgart Ruth E. Ley Jason Kerr Director Director MPI for Developmental Research Center Caesar Biology (associated with the Max- Tübingen Planck-Society) Bonn Johannes Lelievield Director Rüdiger Klein MPI for Chemistry Director Mainz MPI of Neurobiology Martinsried Ulman Lindenberger Director Thomas Klinger MPI for Human Development Director Berlin MPI for Plasma Physics Greifswald

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Bettina Lotsch Mikko Myrskylä Director Director MPI for Solid State Research MPI for Demographic Research Stuttgart Rostock

Andrew Mackenzie Kirpal Nandra Director Director MPI for Chemical Physics of MPI for Extraterrestrial Solids Physics Dresden Garching

Joachim Maier Klaus-Armin Nave Director Director MPI for Solid State Research MPI for Experimental Stuttgart Medicine Göttingen Matthias Mann Director Frank Neese MPI of Biochemistry Director Martinsried MPI für Kohlenforschung Mülheim an der Ruhr Jochen Mannhart Director Stefan Offermanns MPI for Solid State Research Director Stuttgart MPI of Heart and Lung Research Jochem Marotzke Bad Nauheim Director MPI for Meteorology Linda Partridge Hamburg Director MPI for Biology of Ageing Winfried Menninghaus Cologne Director MPI for Empirical Aesthetics Erika Pearce Frankfurt am Main Director MPI of Immunobiology and Walter Metzner Epigenetics Director Freiburg MPI for Solid State Research Stuttgart Thomas Sunn Pedersen MPI for Plasma Physics Antje Meyer Greifswald Director MPI for Psycholinguistics Ulrich Pöschl Nijmegen (NL) Director MPI for Chemistry Andrea Musacchio Mainz Director MPI of Molecular Physiology Paul B. Rainey Dortmund Director MPI for Evolutionary Biology Eugene Myers Plön Director MPI of Molecular Cell Biology Stefan Raunser and Genetics Director Dresden MPI of Molecular Physiology Dortmund

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Udo Reichl Bernhard Schölkopf Director Director MPI for Dynamics of Complex MPI for Intelligent Systems Technical Systems Tübingen Magdeburg Brenda Schulman Gerhard Rempe Director Director MPI of Biochemistry MPI of Quantum Optics Martinsried Garching Paul Schulze-Lefert Hans-Walter Rix Director Director MPI for Plant Breeding MPI for Astronomy Research Heidelberg Cologne

Tobias Ritter Erin Schuman Director Director MPI für Kohlenforschung MPI for Brain Research Mülheim an der Ruhr Frankfurt am Main

Jan-Michael Rost Ferdi Schüth Director Director MPI for Physics of Complex MPI für Kohlenforschung Systems Mülheim an der Ruhr Dresden Petra Schwille Caroline Rowland Director Director MPI of Biochemistry MPI for Psycholinguistics Martinsried Nijmegen (NL) Peter Seeberger Angel Rubio Director Director MPI of Colloids and Interfaces MPI for the Structure and Potsdam-Golm Dynamics of Matter Hamburg Werner Seeger Director Hélène Ruiz Fabri MPI for Heart and Lung Director Research Max Planck Institute Bad Nauheim Luxembourg for Procedural, European and Regulatory Law Tania Singer Luxembourg (L) Director MPI for Human Cognitive and Philip Russel Brain Sciences Director Leipzig MPI for the Science of Light Erlangen Sami Solanki Director Dagmar Schäfer MPI for Solar System Research Director Göttingen MPI for History of Science Berlin Ralf J. Sommer Director Hans Schöler MPI for Developmental Director Biology MPI for Molecular Tübingen Biomedicine Münster

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Eric Sonnendrücker Stefan Vogenauer Director Director MPI for Plasma Physics MPI of European Legal History Garching Frankfurt am Main

Joachim Spatz Klaus von Klitzing Director Director MPI for Medical Research MPI for Solid State Research Heidelberg Stuttgart

Volker Springel Melanie Wald-Fuhrmann Director Director MPI for Astrophysics MPI for Empirical Aesthetics Garching Frankfurt am Main

Didier Stainier Tristan Weddigen Director Director MPI for Heart and Lung MPI for Art History Research (Bibliotheca Hertziana) Bad Nauheim Rome(I)

Mark Stitt Detlef Weigel Director Director MPI of Molecular Plant MPI for Developmental Physiology Biology Potsdam-Golm Tübingen

Diethard Tautz Gerhard Weikum Director Director MPI for Evolutionary Biology MPI for Informatics Plön Saarbrücken

Liu Hao Tjeng Tanja Weil Director Director MPI for Chemical Physics of MPI for Polymer Research Solids Mainz Dresden Nikolaus Weiskopf Arne Traulsen Director Director MPI for Human Cognitive and MPI for Evolutionary Biology Brain Sciences Plön Leipzig

Dietmar Vestweber Simon D. M. White Director Director MPI for Molecular MPI for Astrophysics Biomedicine Garching Münster Martin Wikelski Arno Villringer Director Director MPI for Ornithology MPI for Human Cognitive and Radolfzell Brain Sciences Leipzig Lothar Willmitzer Director Martin Vingron MPI for Molecular Plant Director Physiology MPI for Molecular Genetics Potsdam-Golm Berlin

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Martin Wolf Director Fritz Haber Institute of the Max-Planck-Society Berlin

Robert Wolf Director MPI for Plasma Physics Greifswald

Emilio Zagheni Director MPI for Demographic Research Rostock

J. Anton Zensus Director MPI for Bonn

Marino Zerial Director MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics Dresden

Reinhard Zimmermann Director MPI for Comparative and International Private Law Hamburg