University bigwigs have been slammed for splashing out on an office in Brussels just two months before the referendum.
The office was originally set up to lobby the EU for legislation favourable to the universities of the White Rose Consortium, which includes York.
After the vote to leave the European Union on June 23 the office was forced to admit in a statement that “the objectives of the office will have to change in the new political environment.”
The White Rose Consortium is a collaborative project between the universities of Sheffield, Leeds, and York.
The stated purpose of the office is to “build relationships with other Brussels-based liaison offices and relevant NGO influencers of EU research policy.”
The Consortium launched its Brussels office on April 8, just a few months before the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.
Since then the office has held one event, published five blog posts and its boss has boasted about “increasing the number of followers of the White Rose Brussels Twitter by five times” … to 250.
It is unknown whether the UK will still have access to EU research funding after it leaves the union.
The office is located in a prime location in the heart of Brussels and often lays on receptions attended by the great and the good of EU politics.
University secretary and registrar David Duncan said: “Despite the referendum result, the EU remains a very important source of research income for the University of York, and we have many research partners in continental Europe.”