Officials from BAE Systems, Leonardo and Thales sit on advisory committees that oversee the ‘strategic direction’ of academic departments
Arms industry leaders have gained direct input into British university curricula, Declassified has uncovered.
BAE Systems, Leonardo, Thales, and Rolls-Royce are among the companies invited to participate on more than 50 advisory panels at universities nationwide.
They typically contribute to setting the “strategic direction” for academic units and occasionally evaluate ongoing research efforts.
Utilizing the Freedom of Information Act, Declassified identified at least 21 universities that have integrated arms manufacturers into their advisory committees. These institutions include the universities of Southampton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester, Cardiff, York, and Queens University Belfast.
Some universities emphasize that this arrangement helps them remain attuned to “employer needs.” Minutes from one meeting reveal arms sector representatives and other industry officials were acknowledged for “ensuring that our programmes fit industry requirements and demand.”
At the University of Hull, a BAE Systems representative expressed openness to receiving student applications for “industrial placements” and mentioned a desire to “develop the relationship.”
A Cardiff committee explored the possibility of having “industry” professionals “teach material to students,” recognizing this as “an appealing prospect for the School but would also offer good exposure for industry.”
They also agreed to engage Rolls-Royce in discussions addressing “research challenges.”
‘Disturbing’
This revelation follows earlier reports showing that British universities accepted nearly £100m from defence firms, many of which supply arms to Israel.
One example involves BAE Systems donating close to £50,000 to University College London’s Centre for Ethics and Law, despite accusations linking the company to alleged war crimes in Yemen in 2019.
Universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Sheffield were found to have received substantial funding from arms firms—£17m, £10m, and £42m respectively.
Sam Perlo-Freeman from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) stated: “Declassified’s disturbing findings add to CAAT’s growing concern about deepening ties between UK universities and the military-industrial complex.
“As purveyors of a deeply corrupt and immoral trade that blights human life and the planet like no other, arms company executives should be nowhere near institutions of learning and intellectual freedom.”
He continued: “Universities should be treating arms trade representatives as pariahs. Instead, and thanks to Declassified, we now know that they sit on at least 53 different advisory committees across 21 universities.
“We have little doubt that this will have impacted academic freedom and the integrity of higher education research. The question is exactly how. We need answers.”
In response to the investigation, Demiliterise Education co-founder Jinsella Kennaway remarked: “Academic freedom is undermined while arms companies hold such influence over what gets researched, funded, and legitimised on campus.”
“Students deserve pathways into work that make the world safer and more humane, not careers that contribute to mass killing and deepening global insecurity,” they added.
“University leaders have a responsibility to ensure Britain’s knowledge centres contribute to saving lives, rather than allowing education to become a pipeline into the war economy.”
Original article: www.declassifieduk.org
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