Research disciplines include art history, classical studies, English and creative writing, history, philosophy, music and religious studies. We lead a number of Digital Humanities projects.
Global leaders in research and innovation
The Open University's innovative research and development ranks in the top third of UK universities. It influences policy and practice from local to global levels.
Faculties
Major research themes are: responsibility and regulation, innovation in teaching and learning, international management practice.
We focus on education studies, technology-enhanced learning, childhood and youth and language and literacies. Major initiatives include Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa.
We investigate some of the challenges arising during the life course. Major themes are: children and families; dying and bereavement; later life, living with disability and illness, and reproduction and sexual health.
We research a range of areas including: computing, design, international development, materials engineering, mathematics and statistics and interdisciplinary research into energy, environment, security and privacy.
Research centres around two main themes: biomedical and earth, planetary, space and astronomical sciences, which includes studies of the environment and ecosystems. We, with MCT (left), advance STEM education research.
Working across disciplinary boundaries, our key research themes are citizenship, identities and governance; criminology; international development; human geography; social policy and socio-cultural change.
Institutes
Key research interests are digital scholarship, learning in an open world and next generation distance learning. Our research has had significant impact on open education worldwide.
We research the generation, understanding and sharing of knowledge in different media with methods from cognitive and learning sciences, artificial intelligence, semantic technologies and multimedia.
Research Centres
Centre for Citizenship, Identities and Governance (CCIG)
is an inter-disciplinary research centre whose primary goal is to conduct research, dialogue, and debate that contributes to a greater understanding of citizenship and practices of governance in the contemporary world.
Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET)
is one of the leading education research units in the UK. An internationally respected centre of excellence, it pursues innovative and rigorous research that influences policy and practice.
Centre for Research in Computing (CRC)
undertakes distinctive, leading edge research in software and processes that underpin knowledge management, communication learning and interactions among humans and machines.
OpenSpace Research Centre
generates a collective research culture, facilitated by regular discussions and events, including a seminar series with internal and visiting scholars.
Centre for Physical and Environmental Sciences (CEPSAR)
focuses on the formation of stars and planetary bodies, the processes and natural systems that shape our environment, and essential properties of a Solar System that allows life to develop.
Biomedical Research Network (BRN)
focuses on globally important health challenges and explores new avenues for delivering science to clinical practitioners and to contributing to state-of-the-art curriculum material.
Innovation Knowledge and Development Research Centre
focuses on social and technological innovation in international development, including its effects on health, equity and wellbeing, the impact of the rise of China, and the challenge of ‘green’ technology.
We are also partners with Edinburgh University in Innogen - Institution for Innovation Generation in the Life Sciences, the world-leading centre for innovation in the new life sciences and with the University of Manchester in the Centre for Research on Socio-cultural Change.
Information about OU research can also be found through our A-Z index.
