THE UK Government must ensure Scottish universities do not lose out on millions of pounds of funding after Brexit, the SNP has said.
Figures compiled for the party by the House of Commons Library show Scottish institutions had received just under £142 million in Horizon 2020 funding for 307 projects by at May this year.
Edinburgh University had received more than £55m under the European Union's biggest research and innovation programme, while Glasgow University was given more than £30m.
Read more: Poll - Brexit 'has not boosted the cause of Scottish independence'
SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth urged the UK Government to go further than its commitment to underwrite funding only for Horizon 2020 projects approved before the UK officially leaves the EU.
She said: "These new figures show just how vital EU funding is to our universities, going some way to helping our higher education sector maintain its reputation as a leader in research and innovation.
"The lack of certainty provided by the Tories puts this reputation on the line, risking the cream of our research talent simply walking away."
"So far, the UK Government has only confirmed that it will underwrite funding received through Horizon 2020 for projects confirmed before the UK leaves the EU - meaning that our universities could lose out on millions of pounds in funding after Brexit. This level of uncertainty simply isn't good enough."
Read more: Poll - Brexit 'has not boosted the cause of Scottish independence'
Meanwhile, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton warned the "failure" of the UK government to guarantee the status of EU citizens in Scotland could have a "chilling effect" on Edinburgh.
New figures revealed that 2,398 of Edinburgh University’s 9,000 staff are citizens of other EU member states.
Read more: Poll - Brexit 'has not boosted the cause of Scottish independence'
Mr Cole-Hamilton said: "These figures show just how important the EU is to Edinburgh University. Edinburgh is one of our finest higher education institutions and we need to ensure that it can continue to attract the high quality staff that it needs to thrive."
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