British universities slammed for taking £90m from oil companies in four years
British universities have accepted almost £90m in funding from major oil companies since 2017, openDemocracy can reveal. Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London have been criticised for taking the most, with one MP branding the relationship between oil giants and universities “scandalous.” Imperial College London has accepted more than £54m, including £39m from Shell – with which it boasts of having a “long-standing and fruitful partnership”. The college has refused to explain exactly what the money was used for, simply saying that it funded research into “energy transition, lowering carbon emissions in extraction and in carbon mitigation measures"
Cambridge University also received more than £14m from oil giants, while Oxford University got almost £8m. These include large donations to Oxford’s Said Business School Centre for Corporate Reputation. In total, 36 universities said they have received funding from eight oil giants, with others refusing to disclose whether they had received similar funding. The findings come as universities face growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and break ties with fossil fuel corporations.
Last month, more than
40 senior academics and scientists signed
an open letter pledging not to work with the Science Museum because of
its sponsorship deals with oil companies…
