UK universities and the charity Cancer Research UK have signed a joint protocol on good practice for universities on the issue of funding of research by the tobacco industry.

The joint protocol acknowledges that it is up to individual universities to decide what research funds to accept, when to accept or reject an offer of funds, and what work should take place in its facilities. It agrees, however, that universities “will consider carefully” whether to accept funding from any source “if to do so would be potentially …