Britain’s top universities received at least £83 million worth of funds from arms firms over the past three years.
Data released by the Campaign Against The Arms Trade (CAAT), a UK-based campaign group working to end the international arms trade, show Britain’s top universities have received funds from arms trade firms.
Firms involved in the arms trade have provided top universities in Britain with at least £83 million worth of funds over the past three years, reported
The Huffington Post UK.
The data, obtained under Freedom of Information requests, show that the elite Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, have gained millions in research and sponsorship from companies which manufacture weapons.
Imperial College London received the most funds from government and private military sources at £15.2 million.
Moreover, between 2008 and 2011, Oxford University received £714,000 in research grants from BAE systems, one of the largest military contractors in the world.
The CAAT slammed British universities for receiving funds from arms trade companies saying “any link that a university has with an arms company provides that company with a veneer of respectability and sends a message that the arms trade is a legitimate one”.
“Arms companies fund university research for three key reasons: to gain a competitive advantage on commercial rivals; to create a sympathetic audience among scientists and engineers; and to recruit the next generation of professionals to develop new weapons systems”, Stuart Parkinson, Executive Director at Scientists for Global Responsibility, told
The Huffington Post UK.
ISH/MA/HE
