Sheffield University received more than £700,000 in funding from oil companies, new figures show

Some of the world’s biggest oil companies, like Shell, BP and Total, have given hundreds of thousands of pounds to the university since the 2013/14 academic year. Just under half of the £718,459 total has come in the last three academic years (£337,511). These latest figures come after it was revealed Sheffield University received more than £72 million in funding from companies involved in the arms trade.

The new figures were obtained by The Star via a Freedom of Information request (FOI), which also shows the relationship between a number of companies and the University of Sheffield’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The FOI reply received from the university reveals Shell, one of the oil industry’s biggest companies, is a “board member” for the UKCCSRC, which is a university consortium for which Sheffield is the lead. Shell also holds an educational relationship with the department in the form of undergraduate scholarships.

The oil industry is an entirely legal industry, but the detrimental impact fossil fuels have on the environment is widely acknowledged by scientists and environmental experts. Exxon, another company within the industry, was recently revealed to have accurately predicted the affect of global warming in the current day as far back as the 1970s, but spent decades rubbishing such science in order to protect its core business. Exxon has given Sheffield University £19,668 since the 2016/17 academic year.

On a page of the University of Sheffield website, focusing on sustainability and titled “Our Vision”, the university has said it is “committed” to finding solutions to global problems surrounding the “climate emergency”, but that some decisions will “require trade-offs and compromises”.

Another page, titled “SDG13: Climate Action” states “The university is committed to tackling climate change through research, policy and partnerships” in the very first line.

A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield, said: “Our connections with industrial partners help us to influence positive change and contribute towards a greener future. In many cases, this means working with companies to reduce their carbon emissions and help them reach net zero. These industrial partnerships also contribute to the employability of our students – providing opportunities to develop the skills and connections to graduate into successful careers.

“Our work at the university is undertaken through a lens of sustainability – from taking part in the first ever transatlantic flight using sustainable fuel later this year, to our world-leading work on carbon capture technology which will play a significant role in mitigating carbon emissions and achieving the UK’s ambitious ‘net zero by 2050’ target.”

The university also said it undertakes due diligence on prospective partners and projects, including companies that supply energy and fuel, in line with its code of ethics.

How much money has Sheffield University received from the oil industry?

Since the 2013/14 academic year, the University of Sheffield has received £718,459 in funding from a range of oil companies, including Shell, BG Group, BP, Esso, Exxon Mobil Corp, Total and Phillips 66. The total received from these companies has nearly doubled in the three most recent academic years (a total of £267,427) compared to the three academic years prior (£136,940).

The university’s biggest monetary partnership from the industry is with Shell. Over the 10 year period requested in the FOI, Shell gave Sheffield University £327,982. Shell’s largest yearly funding amounts came in 2020/21 and 2021/22, where £63,591 was given in each year. The second largest is British Petroleum, or BP, who gave the university £209,030 over the same time period.

What non-financial relationships do Sheffield University have with the oil industry?

Sheffield University’s relationships with companies in the oil industry come largely through the Department for Mechanical Engineering. Most of these relationships are financial – like Shell, BP and Exxon – but there is a non-financial relationship with Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Aramco (officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company) is one of the largest companies in the world by revenue. They hold an educational relationship with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, offering undergraduate scholarships to students since 2020. They also provide indirect support for a PhD research sponsorship, via a partnership with another organisation, however, their direct relationship with Sheffield University is said to be non-financial.

The university decided not to disclose the nature of any research funding from the companies involved in the request and said it could damage their commercial interests as they compete for research funding with other universities.

The FOI response said: “The university acknowledges the public interest in openness and its sources of funding and how this funding is used. We recognise a particular interest in accountability regarding the involvement of the University with private companies that could be perceived to be ‘oil companies’.

"This is, however, set against the public interest in allowing the university to operate fairly and equally within the commercial environment that it operates within. The university determines that there is a greater public interest in allowing this to continue and that were this not to be the case its core functions of teaching and research would be likely to be negatively impacted.”

Sheffield Hallam University was also sent an identical FOI request. They responded, in part, within the required 20 days and revealed no financial or non-financial relationships. The Star is still waiting for the full response to it’s request from the university.