The Open University

New Professor of Education, Policy and Practice

11 March 2025

In 2018, there were only 25 Black women professors in the UK, compared to 12,500 white men (WHEN, Women’s Higher Education Network). Today, that number has risen to 74, with the promotion of Dr Carol Azumah Dennis, SFHEA, to Professor of Education, Policy and Practice, within The Open University’s Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language […]

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OpenLearn teams up with Barclays Eagle Labs to support entrepreneurs

2 October 2024

The Open University (OU) is collaborating with Barclays Eagle Labs to promote the Eagle Labs Academy that will equip budding and established entrepreneurs with the tools and knowledge to grow their business. This collaboration brings together the OU’s world-renowned educational resources with the innovation and entrepreneurship support provided by Barclays Eagle Labs. The new collaboration […]

Open University research drives new Pet Abduction law

27 September 2024

A landmark piece of legislation has come into force, recognising pet theft as a specific crime for the first time. The Pet Abduction Act 2024 aims to address the emotional distress experienced by stolen pets and their owners. The new law was informed by research conducted by Dr Helen Selby-Fell, Senior Lecturer in Policing Organisation […]

New Clues from Asteroid Ryugu reveal how Earth became a habitable planet

26 September 2024

Open University scientists Professor Ian Franchi and Dr Richard Greenwood have played a key role in new research that reveals clues about how Earth became a planet capable of supporting life. The study, published in Nature Astronomy, reveals that phosphorus-rich compounds discovered in samples from Asteroid Ryugu could have played a vital role in making […]

Open University launches funding opportunity to support disabled entrepreneurs

12 September 2024

The Open University’s (OU) brand new Open Business Creators Fund for Disabled Entrepreneurs is now open. £25,000 in total funding is being offered from the OU to help disabled individuals in the UK kickstart their business ideas. This opportunity has been launched in collaboration with Scope, the UK’s leading disability equality charity, to support disabled […]

OU report highlights benefits of Employee Ownership for sustainable food and farming

10 September 2024

A new report from The Open University, in collaboration with Riverford Organic Farmers and Sustain, explores how employee ownership can address the complex challenges facing the food and farming sector. The report, titled ‘Managing employee ownership transitions for sustainability in food and farming enterprises: Learning from Riverford’, delves into the case of Riverford Organic Farmers, […]

OU research identifies key areas for improving trans healthcare in the UK

28 August 2024

A new study published today and led by The Open University (OU) has identified significant areas for improvement in the care for transgender adults within the NHS. The report, titled ‘Improving the integration of care for trans adults: ICTA a mixed-methods study’, has been published in the journal Health and Social Care Delivery Research by […]

The Open University unveils new research on post-conflict theatre in Northern Ireland: Advocacy Theatre: Activist as Authors in Northern Ireland

28 August 2024

The Open University in Ireland is proud to announce the upcoming publication of Advocacy Theatre: Activists as Authors in northern Ireland, a significant research project that explores the emergence of theatre as a tool for activism in Northern Ireland during the post-conflict period. The research, conducted over several years, offers a deep dive into the […]

OU historian provides timely expertise to Channel 4’s Britain Behind Bars

1 August 2024

The Open University’s Head of History Rosalind Crone recently shared her many years of research into prison history to help make Channel 4’s Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History. The series airing on Sunday evenings at 9pm on Channel 4, and available to watch in full on My4, follows barrister and TV personality Rob Rinder’s […]

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Open University competition awards £60k in grants to small businesses

18 July 2024

The Open University (OU) has awarded a total of £60,000 to 18 aspiring business owners to support the next generation of student entrepreneurs. 350 people registered for this year’s Open Business Creators Fund competition that has been co-funded by Santander Universities, the Higher Education Innovation Fund and the Welsh Regional Innovation Fund. 90 people took […]

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