Imperial has ended its subscription to influential science lobby group the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE). The decision, which CaSE director Imran Khan called “puzzling”, means that Imperial is now one of only two Russell Group institutions, the other being the LSE, that is not affiliated with CaSE.

The campaign group is credited with helping protect science research funding in last year’s Comprehensive Spending Review and has played a prominent role in winning concessions for researchers in the government’s immigration strategy.

CaSE director Imran Khan, an Imperial alumnus, said that it was not for him to judge the College’s decision, but expressed his frustration that Imperial had not expressed any prior dissatisfaction with CaSE’s efforts: “What’s frustrating for us is that it hasn’t been conveyed to us if there are specific things they feel we’ve got wrong, or have not delivered on. All the direct feedback has been positive, which makes their departure all the more puzzling.”

An Imperial spokesperson said that Imperial regularly reviews its subscriptions to “ensure they compliment and add value to the College’s activities” and that it was felt that the subscription fee could be “better directed to support Imperial’s core activities.” Imperial declined to say who had made the decision or if there was anything specific about CaSE that Imperial was unhappy with, however the spokesperson did say that they continue to support the group’s “aims and objectives.”

The Times Higher Education magazine has reported Imperial’s subscription to be £3,000, a sum that Mr Khan declined to confirm or deny, except to say that it “isn’t far off.” CaSE’s membership fees range between £1,000 and £5,000 per year.

Imperial receives the most research funding from public sources of any university in the UK except Oxford University, which it ties with. In 2009⁄2010 it received almost £100 million in research council grants and reported a total annual surplus of around £40 million.

Editorial: ‘Decision to cut ties with CaSE is an embarrassment to Imperial’