How connected is your university to the arms trade? This is a question which I was obsessed with seven years ago when I co-founded the anti-arms trade campaign at Warwick. However it’s largely slipped away as something to concern myself with. Receiving this e-mail from Campaign Against The Arms Trade reminded me of how important this issue is and how relevant it is to contemporary struggles about the future of the university:

Scientists for Global Responsibility have published an excellent update on military university collaborations in the UK.

The article highlights the close and very often unquestioned links between major arms companies, the MoD and universities. Universities should be making a positive contribution to the world not propping up an industry that profits from death and destruction.

Researching your university

Want to know if your university is in bed with the arms trade? One way to find out is to submit a Freedom of Information request through a website like whatdotheyknow.com (a template letter is available here). Your institution is legally obliged to get back to you within 20 working days.

It can be hard to know where to start with challenging a university’s links to the arms trade so CAAT’s Study War No More page has advice and ideas on planning a campaign and you can always find out more by emailing universities@caat.org.uk