The University of Exeter has formed new partnerships with some of the world’s most prominent arms manufacturers, Cobblestone Media can reveal. In a response to a Freedom of Information Request submitted regarding partnerships and funding to the University of Exeter, two new ventures were revealed, which have not yet been publicly disclosed.

The two ventures involve BAE Systems Ltd and Leonardo UK, and are in partnership with the University of Bristol and Harvard University. Each project began in July 2026, with the former ranging until the Summer of 2029 and the latter until the end of 2026. Though the specific amounts of commercial funding awarded were subject to non-disclosure agreements, approximately £14,000 was paid by BAE Systems to the University for industrial advice and guidance.

Spreadsheet provided by the Information Governance department of the University of Exeter, disclosing some details of funding and partnerships by arms trade companies in the previous 5 financial years.

Some information was withheld by the University of Exeter, as it “would be highly likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the University and its partners and [is] therefore exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) – Commercial Interests of the FOIA.” Yet much of the University’s dealings with the arms trade are in the public domain.

The University of Exeter was recently included on a list of 35 British universities as part of the Defence Universities Alliance (DUA), which aims to support the defence sector with the help of academic institutions. The DUA also seeks to encourage university students into careers in the defence sector and increase university participation by 2,500 attendees. Alongside these public announcements, the University of Exeter has been included in reports on university–defence relations by campaign group Demilitarise Education.

Protests against the University of Exeter’s investments and partnerships have been extensive, with students and faculty urging divestment from fossil fuel and arms companies. In 2024, student-led encampments remained on campus lawns for weeks and, in some cases, months, despite alleged harassment by campus security, and arrests at the Tremough Campus. The Tremough encampment called directly on the University to “cut ties with British military and defence companies” and demanded “full disclosure of investments with open access to all students and staff.”

The University of Exeter’s publicly available investment portfolio lists BAE Systems among its investments, which, as of June 2026, is the only aerospace and defence company on the list. Rathbone Investment Management International Ltd manages the University’s endowment fund on a “day-to-day” basis, but the University retains the final say over its investment policy and partnership decisions.

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