King’s College London and Cranfield University announced plans last week to merge by autumn 2027, aiming to create a leading institution focused on defence and national security. The proposed union is intended to combine King’s central London location near the Strand with Cranfield’s specialisation in security and technology, leveraging the latter’s 40-year partnership with the Ministry of Defence and its position within the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.

However, the merger has sparked opposition from academics at King’s, particularly members of the University and College Union (UCU), who expressed concerns about the university becoming increasingly “militarised.” The King’s UCU branch criticised the deal for potentially reshaping research agendas to align more closely with military interests, raising issues about academic freedom and the ethical implications for staff who may wish to object to involvement in defence-related activities.

One researcher from the natural, mathematical and engineering sciences department described the merger as a strategy to capitalise financially on the defence sector, suggesting that work such as drone development is more lucrative than traditional academic pursuits like policy analysis. The source warned that the integration could threaten open inquiry by prioritising command and control approaches over curiosity and transparency.

UCU chair Jamie Woodcock, a senior lecturer in digital economy at King’s, highlighted several concerns including insufficient consultation, financial uncertainties, and the direct links to military institutions. Woodcock further challenged remarks about King’s financial position, noting that although the university reported an 8.4% increase in income—to £1.38 billion—and held £321 million in cash reserves with an operating surplus of nearly £40 million last year, academic staff had only received a modest 2.5% pay rise. Meanwhile, the university’s vice-chancellor accepted a 13.4% salary increase, bringing his pay to £355,000. Woodcock also alleged that funds for expansion had been found despite suppressed salaries and the use of precarious contracts for some staff.

The union pointed out that the deficit in Cranfield’s 2024-25 accounts roughly equated to the pay increases it had been seeking for academic staff. In response, Professor Dame Karen Holford, Cranfield’s vice-chancellor, said the merger was motivated by strategic aims beyond financial factors and that savings had already been achieved.

King’s College London stated that it communicated the potential merger to staff and students at the earliest opportunity and insisted the ongoing due diligence process involves keeping colleagues and trade unions informed. The university emphasised that the merger is driven by a desire to expand academic opportunities and address significant societal challenges. Additionally, King’s disputed the union’s salary claims, underscoring that the institution allocates a higher proportion of its income to staff salaries than other Russell Group universities in London.