HC Deb 29 January 1971 vol 810 cc224-5W
Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many research contracts the United States Department of Defence has currently with British universities; and what was the annual value of such contracts in 1968, 1969, and 1970;

(2) which universities and which university departments currently hold contracts with the United States Department of Defence; and which, and how many, are classified.

Mr. Ridley

The United States Department of Defence is currently financing 69 research projects at 25 United Kingdom Universities—Aberdeen, Bangor, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Brunel, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Kent, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Nottingham, Oxford, Salford, Sheffield, Southampton, Sussex, Swansea, Ulster.

The fields of research covered are—astral physics, atmospheric sciences, biosciences, cartography, chemistry, electronics, energy conversion, hydromechanics, life sciences, materials, mathematics, mechanics, metallurgy, physical chemistry, physics, spectroscopy, terrestial studies.

All of these research projects are unclassified.

The annual values of the contracts for 1968, 1969 and 1970 were, respectively, £324,000, £344,000, and £266,000.

The Department has no responsibility for the placing or financial control of these contracts and only receives information on them so that duplication with United Kingdom Government-sponsored research at British universities may be avoided.