U.S. universities may no longer need to wrestle with the ethical dilemma of accepting funding from tobacco company Philip Morris: the firm has announced that it is ending its external research grant program.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Feb. 29 that the Philip Morris External Research Program will make no more new grants. Critics cast the move as an attempt by Philip Morris to avoid bad publicity. But company officials defended the program and said Philip Morris will continue to support studies on reducing the harm caused by smoking.

Industry critic Stanton Glantz said that ending the program won't end tobacco industry funding of research, noting that Philip Morris' recent controversial $6-million grant to a UCLA researcher was not made through the External Research Program.