Research Capability Hub launches with strong national support

Posted on 30 January 2026 • University news

The Open University’s Research Capability Hub (RCH) was formally launched this week (27 January) at a hybrid event that brought together more than 150 participants from across the UK’s social science research community. 

A major milestone: from design to delivery
The launch event marked a significant step in moving the Hub, which was funded by a £4.9M award from UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Economic and Social Research Council, from its design phase into active delivery. Attendees included researchers at all career stages, research leaders, professional services staff, and training providers. 

Interactive sessions enabled participants to: 

• Identify priority skills and training needs 

• Test and refine the Hub’s coproduction approach 

• Explore how organisations and individuals can contribute to and engage with the Hub 

• Share early insights to shape the Hub’s development as a shared national resource 

The high level of participation and lively discussion demonstrated both the strong demand for coordinated research skills support and the community’s enthusiasm for helping shape the Hub’s future direction. 

Bart Rienties, Professor of Learning Analytics at the OU’s Institute of Educational Technology (IET), Project Lead for the Hub said: 

“I am absolutely delighted that we had nearly 100 training providers, universities, charities and other organisations supporting UK social scientists together to begin discussions on how to cocreate the next five years of future facing research skills support. We will be planning further stakeholder engagement events to continue building RCH priority strategies. If you would like to participate, help, or just want to find out which research skills are available for you, sign up for our newsletter at rch.ac.uk.” 

A national, collaborative effort
The Hub—led by The Open University in partnership with University College London, Swansea University, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Gothenburg—aims to transform how research skills training is coordinated, delivered, and accessed across the UK. 

By leveraging the OU’s digital innovation and open learning platforms, the RCH will: 

• Provide scalable, personalised, and cocreated training 

• Support researchers across academia, government, business, and the third sector 

• Strengthen the UK’s social science research infrastructure 

• Promote a culture of lifelong learning and methodological innovation 

 You may also be interested in:  

• OU awarded £4.9M to lead research skills hub for social scientists 

• OU research at IET 

• Economic and Social Research Council