退歐將危及英國科學大國地位 Want to know what Brexit would mean

Anyone who wants to know whether we should leave the EU should speak to Boris. I mean, of course, the vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz.

任何想知道我們應不應該退出歐盟的人都應該跟鮑里斯(Boris)談談。當然，我說的這位鮑里斯（本文作者的哥哥是支持英國退出歐洲的倫敦市長鮑里斯•約翰遜——譯者注）是劍橋大學(University of Cambridge)校長、教授萊謝克•博裏塞維奇爵士(Sir Leszek Borysiewicz)。

This city by the Fens has been a centre of scholarship for more than eight centuries, long before the EU and many of its member states even existed. Monks and scholars flocked here from Paris, Bologna and Salamanca in the Middle Ages and, over the years, our own benefited from reciprocal hospitality across Europe.

八個多世紀以來，劍橋這座位於大沼澤旁的城市一直是學術成就的中心——那時歐盟及其許多成員國根本不存在。中世紀時期，大批修道士、學者從巴黎、博洛尼亞和薩拉曼卡涌到這裏，在此後的幾百年裏，我國的修道士和學者在歐洲各地也得到禮遇。

Today these continental networks are deeper than ever and help explain why this university has more Nobel Prizes to its name — 92 — than any other institution. They also play a part in its success in turning research into good business. With more than 1,500 technology companies, employing nearly 60,000 people, it is the most successful innovation cluster in Europe.

如今，這些遍佈歐洲大陸的網絡比以往任何時候都更加深入，而且有助於解釋爲什麼劍橋大學孕育的諾貝爾獎得主（92位）比其他任何機構都多。在將研究成果轉化爲優秀業務方面，這些網絡也發揮了作用。擁有1500多家科技公司，僱傭近6萬人，劍橋已成爲歐洲最成功的創新聚集地。

The big question, then, for Boris is how much of this success is due to our membership of the EU? Let us be clear: Britain has been a science superpower since the dawn of the Enlightenment and our scientific temper will help us thrive either way.

那麼，對劍橋校長而言，大問題在於這種成功在多大程度上應歸功於英國的歐盟成員身份？讓我們明確這一點：英國自啓蒙運動開始以來一直是一個科技超級大國，我們的科學素養將幫助我國不斷結出科學的碩果，無論我們留在還是退出歐盟。

The issue, though, is whether we would be as strong as we could be, without the funding and the partnerships that we gain through the EU.

然而，問題在於，若失去通過歐盟獲得的資助及合作伙伴關係，我們還能不能保持強大，把我們的優勢發揮到極致？

European research funding offers a good example of how the EU can get things right — and of how the UK benefits from a seat at the table when the rules are framed in Brussels. We have successfully argued for EU research money only to flow to where the best science is done, regardless of geography or pork barrel pressures. And because of the excellence of our research base, we end up winning an outsized slice of EU research programmes.

歐洲研究經費提供了一個很好的例子，說明歐盟能夠正確安排事情，說明當布魯塞爾框定規則時，在談判桌前擁有一席之地讓英國受益。我們已經成功地說服讓歐盟研究經費只流向科研工作做得最好的地方，而不考慮地理或“籠絡民心的政治撥款”壓力。而因爲我們的研究基地非常優秀，我們贏得了超出比例的歐盟研究項目。

The UK puts in about 12 per cent of all EU funding yet wins about 15 per cent of research funding, making us one of the largest beneficiaries of EU science programmes. In the latest funding round, we have to date secured 15.4 per cent, second only to Germany.

英國貢獻歐盟全部經費的約12%，但贏得約15%的研究經費，這使英國成爲歐盟科技項目的最大受益者之一。在最近的一輪經費劃撥中，英國迄今已爭取到15.4%，僅次於德國。

Britain’s universities flourish under this system. Cambridge topped the list of EU universities for participations in the most recent funding programme. And Oxford, Imperial College London and University College London occupied the next three positions. Some argue non-EU countries also benefit from EU science. But there is a big difference. They may be part of the European Research Area but they do not sit at the table when the European Council or Parliament set rules or decide budgets.

英國的大學在這一體系下蓬勃發展。在最近的經費分配中，劍橋大學在歐盟所有大學中獲得的資金最多。緊隨其後的是牛津大學(Oxford)、倫敦大學帝國理工學院(Imperial College London)以及倫敦大學學院(UCL)。有人辯稱，非歐盟國家也受益於歐盟的科研。但這裏有很大的區別。他們或許是歐洲研究區(ERA)的一部分，但當歐洲理事會或歐洲議會制定規則或決定預算時，他們毫無話語權。

Of course, British scientists will be able to call for support from the UK government. Indeed, since 2010 we have protected the science budget at a time of significant savings elsewhere, but we should not pretend that replacing these rich additional European funding streams would be easy.

當然，英國科學家有能力從英國政府爭取到支持。的確，自2010年以來，在其他方面開支大幅削減之際，我們保住了科研預算，但我們不該自欺欺人地認爲，替代歐盟的大筆額外經費將是容易的。

To keep our knowledge factories winning Nobel Prizes, we must in addition recognise that research is rarely a solitary undertaking or even a narrowly national one. About half of UK research publications now involve cross-border collaborations. And EU countries are among our most crucial partners, representing nearly half of our overseas collaborations. Free movement of people makes it easier for our universities to attract the best talent.

要繼續讓我們的“知識工廠”獲得諾貝爾獎，我們還必須認識到，科研極少是一項孤立的事業，甚至很少是僅僅一個國家就能開展的。如今，英國約一半的研究成果都涉及跨境合作。而歐盟國家是英國最重要的合作伙伴，佔到英國海外合作的近一半。人員自由流動讓英國大學更易於吸引到最優秀的人才。

I am not suggesting that Brexit would reverse eight centuries of progress, returning “Silicon Fen” to marshland. However, those who want Britain to leave the EU must explain how they will sustain the same levels of investment and the same depth of partnership under different circumstances.

我並不是在暗示退出歐盟將使英國八個世紀以來取得的進步付諸東流，把“硅沼”(Silicon Fen)變回沼澤。然而，那些希望英國退出歐盟的人士必須解釋，在不同的環境下，他們將如何維持相同的投資水平以及同等深度的合作伙伴關係？

A vote to leave would be a leap into the dark that would put our status as a science superpower at risk. That is why I will be joining Boris in making a positive case for Britain’s future in a reformed EU.

贊成退歐的公投結果將使英國躍入黑暗，進而危及英國的科學超級大國地位。這就是爲什麼我將加入劍橋校長的行列，爲英國在改革後的歐盟中的未來提出正面的理由。