Oil giants 'call shots'

Universities are in the grip of oil companies and are being used to fuel their profits rather than to solve major public problems such as climate change, says a report launched this week. The New Economics Foundation, an independent think-tank, found that universities conduct £67 million worth of research a year for the oil and gas industries.

Although two-thirds of this cash comes from public funds, to work benefits the petroleum industry, not the environment. Cash-strapped universities found the offers of new buildings, equipment and sponsored staff posts irresistible.