BAE Systems could pour money into universities in exchange for a say in its curriculum, it has emerged.

The aerospace giant - which employs 3,800 staff at its Samlesbury site - is in talks with bosses from the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NGCE) about helping to bank-roll a "network of enterprise universities" across Britain.

The institutions would encourage companies to invest in universities and could mean firms like BAE would be able to dictate what is taught.

A BAE spokesman said "preliminary discussions" were ongoing with the NGCE but that decisions weren't expected until "months down the line".

Ian Robertson, chief executive of NGCE, said: "To flourish, the university enterprise networks need to be supported by the private sector as well, and the indication is that there will be significant support from UK and international business.

"In turn, the initiative will make a positive contribution to the success of UK plc, helping to promote entrepreneurship in higher education."