Military university collaborations UK update

The report finds that the vast majority of UK universities have links to military interests, with funding provided by the UK government, arms companies, and overseas organisations. While public military R&D spending as a percentage of total R&D has fallen since the Cold War, the author warns of recent trends toward increasing military-university collaborations and a rise in government military R&D spending between 2011 and 2012.

• Research indicates that nearly all UK universities have military links. Out of 59 universities examined across various studies, all but one had received military funding since 2000 from sources including the UK Ministry of Defence, arms companies, or overseas military entities.
• Military funding is concentrated in specific institutions and academic departments. Universities receiving the highest levels include Cambridge, Cranfield, Imperial College London, Oxford, and Sheffield, with funding primarily targeting engineering, computing, physics, maths, and chemistry departments.
• Significant funding is linked to the UK's nuclear weapons program. Between 2010 and 2012, over 50 UK universities received funding from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), with five institutions—Bristol, Cambridge, Cranfield, Heriot-Watt, and Imperial College London—forming a 'strategic alliance' that received £15 million.
• While public funding for military R&D fell to 16% of total public R&D spending compared to approximately 50% during the Cold War, there are signs of a reversal. Government military R&D spending increased by over £150 million between 2011 and 2012, while civilian R&D budgets were reduced by a similar amount.

APA

Parkinson, S. (2015). Military university collaborations UK update. Scientists for Global Responsibility. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/military-university-collaborations-uk-update

Chicago

Parkinson, Stuart. Military university collaborations UK update. Scientists for Global Responsibility, 2015. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/military-university-collaborations-uk-update.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parkinson |first1=Stuart |title=Military university collaborations UK update |publisher=Scientists for Global Responsibility |date=13 April 2015 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/military-university-collaborations-uk-update |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parkinson2015military, author = {Parkinson, Stuart}, title = {{Military university collaborations UK update}}, institution = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2015}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/military-university-collaborations-uk-update}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }