Decades of fossil fuel influence paved way for Trump’s assault on university research, study says

Fossil fuel firms have spent years trying to regulate climate research by donating to US universities, study authors argue

Recent attacks on US universities by the Trump administration have built on decades of efforts by libertarian donor networks, fossil fuel companies and conservative thinktanks to reshape university governance and increase outside influence, according to a new study.

The authors of the new perspective study argue that the erosion of university autonomy has left colleges more vulnerable to corporate interests, especially within climate and energy research.