The Outs moan about red tape and regulations, but in some areas, principally the scientific environment, these actually aid and speed up the process whereby, for example, a new medicine can be tested and approved for all member countries.

Science should be one of the tenets of our Remain campaign. It is the driving force behind the research and development for industry, creating innovation, development and jobs. The EU, with its integrated environment, access to a strong single market, the ability to utilise the skills of those from the universities and research centres of 27 countries, is unique, allowing information and data to be shared. ERASMUS is but one of the many agreements which allows our students to spend a year at a European university for the same cost as at home (better for Scottish students then).

Just as we need a military coalition (such as NATO) to defend us from aggressors from outside our borders, we need this scientific coalition to fight diseases in humans, animals and plants, and develop effective weapons against climate change and other environmental disasters. Remember, that £25 million of our £350 million per week comes back to us as funding for universities and research establishments, plus the countless cooperation between firms and universities throughout the EU.

Senga Scott