One of Nottingham University's leading cancer drug researchers has warned that he could take his research team elsewhere unless the university gives back £3.8 million from the tobacco industry.
David Thurston, director of Nottingham's Cancer Research Campaign gene-targeted drug design research group, said he would be left with no choice but to move to another university if the CRC carried out a "veiled threat", to withdraw research grants in protest over a donation from British American Tobacco.
Such a move would set back work by Professor Thurston's group. He said it was on the verge of producing cancer-curing treatments based on gene-targeting methods, using information from the human genome project.
Professor Thurston's warning came as the CRC withdrew £1.5 million for replacing the out-of-date buildings where the drug design group works with a new Institute of Cancer Research.
Gordon McVie, the CRC's director general, said the decision followed consultation with local volunteers on what action to take over the university's acceptance of the BAT money to fund a new International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility.
He said: "The tobacco funding has definitely got in the way and our supporters are in no mood to raise more money for the university."
Professor Thurston told The THES his greatest worry was that the CRC would decide not to renew its research grant for his group in three years' time.
He said: "Even if the university steps in next month to replace our buildings, we still have this veiled threat hanging over us. The message to staff who are funded by the CRC is that their jobs could be on the line in three years' time.
"If I thought their jobs were in danger, I would look to move the group to another university. Nottingham would be losing expertise that would not be replaceable."
A CRC spokesman said there was no threat to research grants. However, Nottingham University is still deciding whether to have any BAT chairs in its new international centre. The CRC has made it clear that such a move would be in clear breach of a protocol on tobacco industry funding, agreed with Universities UK.
A spokesman for the university said it was "regrettable" that the CRC had decided not to help fund a new cancer research institute in Nottingham.
- Brunel University is founding the Brunel Institute of Cancer, Genetics and Pharmacogenomics to capitalise on breakthroughs made by its department of biological sciences.
£1.5 million will be spent on the infrastructure of the centre by the university, with £4 million coming from the EU's Framework 5 research programme and £500,000 from the CRC. It will be launched in spring 2002.