Queen Máxima of the Netherlands spoke to students and scientists about the impact Brexit has on science yesterday during a working visit to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in Amsterdam’s Trippenhuis.
Upon the arrival of Her Majesty, she was first received by a robot named Leolani that was designed and programmed by international students studying at VU University in Amsterdam. Leolani talked to the Queen about the “international exchange of knowledge and cooperation,” according to the Royal House.
Embed from Getty ImagesNext, Queen Máxima spoke to the scientists and students gathered about the impact Brexit will have on science. Specifically, the Royal House said they talked about the consequences “for cooperation between universities, the position of science within Europe and the effect of a Brexit on Euroscepticism.”
The students and scientists then shared their personal experiences and consequences of Brexit where students confessed that they had moved back to mainland Europe from the UK because of uncertainties surrounding the UK leaving the EU. At the same time, students at the meeting from the UK stressed their concerns about employment in Europe’s labour market.
Both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were represented by scientists at the meeting where European cooperation and agreements between universities was an important topic with the Queen. They shared their joint concerns about collaborating on joint research projects in a post-Brexit world.
The Royal House explained after the working meeting was over, “The KNAW hopes that the discussions between British and Dutch scientists and students will ultimately lead to initiatives to mitigate the impact of a Brexit.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe United Kingdom was due to leave the EU today, but the deadline has been extended to 31 January 2020.
