Scientists need to wake up to the opportunities of Brexit

It's easy for UK researchers to focus on the downsides of leaving the EU. A House of Lords report today calls for a more positive approach

Theresa May made sweeping changes when she was catapulted into Downing Street. New departments were created, and the government had acquired a fresh mission - navigating our way out of the EU. Science and research could easily have been squeezed out of a picture dominated by migration, trade and market access.

In fact, the reverse is happening: the PM wrote in July that she wants "a positive outcome for science as we exit the EU"; and Philip Hammond followed this up in his autumn statement with a 4.7 billion increase in science and innovation investment. Industrial strategy is back in favour; the prospects for science have been debated in recent weeks in both the Lords and the Commons; and ministers have been queuing up to emphasise its importance to the future of the UK.