Scientific leaders have urged the government not to abandon talks to enable Britain to participate in the €100bn European research program.
He has told BBC News that being out of the EU research would do "great damage" to British science.
An agreement was reached in principle, but Britain's participation in the negotiations on Northern Ireland has now become a bargaining chip.
In response to this, Science Minister George Freeman has said that Britain is ready to decide its own plan.
Sir Jeremy Farah, director of the Welcome Trust, told BBC News: "At this stage the agreement on Britain's participation in the world's largest international science funding program was losing, when it had already been negotiated and signed. Ready to take away the jaws of victory".
He added: "While it is natural for the government to plan for a worst-case scenario, we have to realize that any UK-only plan will harm our scientists more than the international opportunities that Horizon Europe has, both EU and EU. Opens with many other countries that participate, such as Israel or Norway."
The European Union's Horizon Europe program brings together researchers from EU industry and academia. Projects range from fundamental research to tackling social issues, such as combating climate change and efforts to find treatments for debilitating diseases.
Britain's continued participation in the EU's Horizon program was agreed in principle just before Christmas 2020 in the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
The delay is causing problems, as funds cannot be released to UK allies until a formal agreement is reached. If it becomes clear that the agreement will take several more months, EU researchers will not include UK scientists in their projects.
Cancer Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell told BBC News the boycott from Horizon Europe would be a "significant setback" in efforts to tackle cancer.
"The government must urgently reach an agreement for continued membership of Horizon Europe, or the UK will undermine its position to collaborate and use science to address the global challenges we face."
By some estimates, the UK has lost £1.5bn of research funding since 2016 due to the uncertainties arising out of Brexit. But Sir Jeremy said ministers should resist the temptation to walk away from talks with the EU.
"The delay is disappointing, but the UK needs to stay in the game, and resist the urge to shut the door on the horizon. It is the best option to support science and R&D in the UK."
Sir Jeremy is responding to an article by Science Minister George Freeman in Research Fortnight magazine. Mr Freeman wrote that although joining the EU's Horizon Europe program was his "strong priority", "if the EU stands in our way" the UK is prepared to implement an option that is "just as good". "Or better.
That option was floated by Prof Sir Adrian Smith in 2019, as a contingency ahead of Britain's withdrawal agreement the EU refused the UK's entry into Horizon Europe. Prof. Smith has since been elected President of the Royal Society, which represents the country's leading scientists. He told BBC News that most scientists would prefer to join the EU program rather than the newly introduced UK scheme.
We have four decades of planning collaborative research with colleagues across Europe.
Dr Daniel Rathbone, assistant director for the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CASE), said it would take the UK a very long time to establish its plan.
"Meanwhile, the UK will likely lose top researchers and research groups as they move abroad in search of funding and collaboration opportunities elsewhere", he said.
The choice to launch a UK scheme was made possible by the chancellor in the autumn budget, when he allocated £2bn a year to pay for the UK's membership of Horizon Europe, but officials made it clear that the scientific community He can do whatever he wants. You can spend money on it. The Treasury itself understood that spending money on Horizon Europe was an inefficient use of funds, but left the decision up to the scientific community.
If there is uncertainty in the new year, Prof. According to Smith, scientific leaders may have no choice but to consider the UK plan.
"If the impasse in signing the agreement continues for a month or two, a discussion will have to be inaugurated because the expected cooperation with Horizon Europe will not be realized," he said.
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