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It is perhaps unsurprising that the Confederation of British Industry mistakenly sees market-driven commercial product development as central to the ethos of a publicly funded university ("Tax threat to third-stream activities", February 14). That it then also expects this activity to be tax-exempt, however, beggars belief. Refreshingly, those at HM Revenue and Customs realise that the primary purpose of a university is "to conduct teaching and blue-skies research". Perhaps they could pass this important message on to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and Research Councils UK?

Philip Moriarty,
School of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Nottingham