04/12/2007

Universities take money from Arms Companies

New report on university funding although it doesn't look at at the Open university which as we know is heavily involved with the Metrix consortium and bestowing respectability and credence to the arms companies Raytheon, Qinetiq

Cardiff University

This is how they describe it “The University has signed a major partnership with leading defence security and technology company QinetiQ. The strategic partnership will enable QinetiQ to access University expertise and maintain an active involvement in its latest research innovations. In return QinetiQ, which has a strong UK customer base and is expanding in the USA, will provide expertise on technology transfer..”
- Cardiff University Website

Top 3 funders (by no. of projects) 1) QinetiQ 2)MoD 3)Dstl

A report published today reveals that 26 top UK universities have received contracts for at
least £725 million over six years from arms companies and public military bodies. The report, Study War No More, is published jointly by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR) and CAAT

Universities accepting millions from arms companies
Ekklesia, - By staff writers A report published today (Tuesday) has revealed that 26 top UK universities have received contracts for at least £725 million over six ...

UNIVERSITIES ACCEPTING MILLIONS OF POUNDS

FROM ARMS COMPANIES, STUDY SHOWS

A report published today reveals that 26 top UK universities have received contracts for at least £725 million over six years in sponsorship by arms companies and public military bodies. The report, Study War No More, looks at each university between 2001 and 2006 and uncovers over 1,900 projects funded in this way. It is written by Tim Street and Martha Beale and published jointly by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR) and Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).

Examples of military projects include a scheme researching unmanned aerial vehicles over ten universities, funded jointly by BAE and public sources, which is run by a university professor and a project manager from BAE. In addition to research projects, arms companies were found to have sponsored numerous courses, bursaries, industrial placements and careers fairs.

Co-author Martha Beale said: "It was a huge struggle to unearth this information, due to a lack of transparency at many universities and the secretive nature of the arms trade. We were staggered to discover the depth of military involvement in higher education. It raises crucial questions about research funding and academic independence. It is vital that students, university staff and the general public tackle the alarming influence of military money."

Over two-thirds of identified military projects involved three leading UK arms companies - BAE, Rolls Royce and QinetiQ. The universities conducting the most military projects were (in descending order) Cambridge, Loughborough, Oxford, Southampton and University College London.

Ends

Notes to Editors

  1. Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) works for the reduction and ultimate abolition of the international arms trade. The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR) is an international spiritually-based movement of people who commit themselves to active nonviolence as a way of life and as a means of personal, social, economic and political transformation.
  2. The report, Study War No More, is written by Tim Street and Martha Beale and published jointly by FoR and CAAT. The research for the report was conducted by Martha Beale, Tim Street and Jo Wittams with the assistance of staff and volunteers from CAAT and FoR.
  3. Study War No More considers 26 universities between 2001 and 2006. These are Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Cranfield, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Imperial College London, King's College London, Leeds, Liverpool, Loughborough, London School of Economics, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Queens' University Belfast, Sheffield, Southampton, Swansea, University College London, Warwick and York. This selection includes all members of the Russell Group of elite UK universities, along with six others selected due to particular relevance and/or geographical balance.
  4. Copies of Study War No More are available on request.
  5. Spokespeople for CAAT and FoR are available for interview.

Media Contact Symon Hill - 020 7281 0297 or 07990 673 232


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FoR’s Martha Beale on military research taking place in ..... Tim Street, one of the. authors of the report, said “Study. War No More will act as a ...


Military Involvement in UK Universities

Study war no more report

Does your university work for the military?

Military organisations - including arms companies and the Ministry of Defence - annually sponsor hundreds of projects at UK universities.

The Study War No More report examines military involvement at 26 UK universities in order to highlight the impact military funding has on university departments. The report provides information about the funding of UK universities by military organisations, both governmental and industrial. It also intends to support students concerned about the impact their institutions have on international peace and conflict; and to encourage debate regarding the democratic deficit within academic institutions and the ends and ethics of research and research funding.

Study War No More: Military Involvement in UK Universities is a joint project between Campaign Against Arms Trade and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. The campaign website hosts full details of military involvement at 26 UK universities. You can download the Study War No More report, which exposes the ways in which the military sector is being pushed into UK universities, view in-depth data on each of the 26 universities we researched or find out more information on researching and campaigning in this area.
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