The Open University

OU joins city in welcoming King Charles III to Milton Keynes

21 February 2023

The Open University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Blackman, joined civic leaders and well-wishers in welcoming King Charles III to Milton Keynes to formally mark its recently conferred city status. His Majesty recognised Milton Keynes as the “home to innovation through The Open University” celebrating its inhabitants at this moment in its history. Professor Tim Blackman, Vice-Chancellor […]

New Director for PolicyWISE

8 February 2023

We’re delighted to confirm the appointment of Dewi Knight to the role of Director of PolicyWISE, the OU’s major new public policy initiative, which will launch later this year. Dewi joins the OU from the Welsh Government where he is Specialist Adviser for Education Reform. Working at the heart of Welsh government for over […]

Male student sitting in classroom looking away and smiling.

First wave of colleges to receive OU support to boost skills in their local communities

9 December 2022

The first wave of colleges in England that will receive support from The Open University (OU) to develop their higher technical educational offering has been announced today. Backed by £10milion of UK Government funding, the OU will be working with colleges across England to support colleges put on a wider range of advanced technical courses, […]

Virtual reality setting showing three scans of the human body

OU secures £5.8m to build extended reality studio

8 December 2022

The Open University (OU) has secured funding of £5.8m from the Office for Students to develop extended reality studios to expand its teaching and learning with augmented and virtual reality. Open XR Studios will feature state-of-the-art equipment to capture, reproduce and render 4D imagery. It will deliver immersive and reality-embedded learning to students in their […]

It’s official – the OU is ranked in the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers

7 December 2022

The Open University is celebrating after learning it has been ranked in the Inclusive Top 50 UK employers. The Inclusive Companies organisation, which puts together the rankings, describes itself as the premier cross-industry network “harnessing best practices and innovation to drive inclusion for all”. Last year’s top 50 included Bupa, E-On, TalkTalk and a whole […]

A statement from The Open University

22 November 2022

The Open University plays a unique role in higher education. Our model of supported open learning has created opportunities for millions of people to learn new knowledge and skills, overcome disadvantage and achieve success in their personal and career goals, often while working and bringing up a family. We provide among the most affordable higher […]

OU to lead first public policy research and knowledge exchange academic network across the UK and Ireland

16 November 2022

A major new public policy initiative, PolicyWISE, is being developed by The Open University (OU). PolicyWISE will be the UK’s first network of academics and civil servants to explicitly address comparative public policy research and knowledge exchange across the four nations of the UK and Ireland. Working across the nations will enable PolicyWISE to take […]

Group of young adults and adults holding coloured signs related to climate change

Sustainability activity continues at OU with Mock COP for school students

16 November 2022

Yesterday, seventy-five senior pupils from 11 secondary schools across the Scottish Highlands took part in a ‘Mock COP27’ to raise awareness and increase understanding of the landmark global political conference. The event helped the young people contribute to the climate change debate and show them that their voice matters. Organised by The Open University (OU) […]

Double award win for BBC/ OU co-productions

15 November 2022

Two programmes co-produced by The Open University and BBC have won accolades at this year’s Grierson Awards. The Green Planet: Tropical Worlds secured ‘Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary’. The landmark natural history series, presented by Sir David Attenborough was an immersive portrayal of an unseen, inter-connected world, full of remarkable new behaviour, emotional stories […]

New OU research finds future of small bakery businesses at risk

9 November 2022

The research, conducted by Emma Bell, Professor of Organisation and Leadership at The Open University Business School, found that the rising costs of flour and energy pose some serious challenges to bakery owners, and that support is needed for this sector to maintain its important place in local communities. Professor Bell’s research, which was conducted between […]

OU News

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