The Open University

Spring Statement 2022: quick analysis about standards of living, energy crisis and more – from experts

25 March 2022

Keith Baker, Glasgow Caledonian University; Cam Donaldson FRSE, Glasgow Caledonian University; Ernestine Gheyoh Ndzi, York St John University; Gavin Midgley, University of Southampton; Jonquil Lowe, The Open University; Karen Bloor, University of York; Karl Schmedders, International Institute for Management Development (IMD); Peter Bloom, University of Essex; Phil Tomlinson, University of Bath; Renaud Foucart, Lancaster University; […]

OU academic reveals the biggest threats to Putin at home and abroad

25 March 2022

What next for Putin, the oligarchs and the Russian economy in the light of the economic sanctions? Alan Shipman, a Senior Lecturer in Economics at The Open University, is a former ‘emerging markets’ analyst who’s watched Russia’s slide from star performer in the early 2000s to oil-dependent stagnation since 2010. He sheds some light on […]

Nuclear energy research to boost innovation and reduce risk

24 March 2022

The risk and cost of developing new nuclear energy technologies could be reduced, thanks to a new research project bringing together scientists from the UK and India, including experts from The Open University. The four-year project – called Enhanced Methodologies for Advanced Nuclear System Safety (EMEANSS) – will use experimental data and machine learning to […]

Entrepreneur Nick shares his story of ambition

‘I launched a start-up alongside my OU studies’

23 March 2022

Entrepreneur and Business Studies graduate Nick Bassan says The Open University was the perfect place to launch his smart-tech clothing brand. After two attempts at university, Nick, 29, says the OU gave him the flexibility he needed to achieve a degree – all while continuing to grow his business. “I was able to apply learnings […]

OU launches Centre for the Study of Global Development

23 March 2022

The Open University (OU) has launched a new centre, which will aim to advance human wellbeing through global development research. The Centre for the Study of Global Development (CSGD) will support researchers, practitioners, thought leaders and policy makers to share knowledge and research evidence. The centre will have five hubs – health and wellbeing; language […]

From Z to Q: when letters become political symbols

21 March 2022

Written by Philip Seargeant, Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at The Open University Painted on the side of tanks and emblazoned on the shirt of Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak, the letter Z has come to represent support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It has even been incorporated into the spelling of place names such as […]

“I poured my heart out onto the page writing about infertility for my Creative Writing MA”

21 March 2022

Samantha Holmes signed up for an MA in Creative Writing with The Open University as a distraction from the challenging IVF journey her and her husband were on. She used her writing to open up about their fertility battle, which she found cathartic, but which also raised awareness of infertility – a struggle faced by […]

OU and partners secure funding boost for pioneering space projects

18 March 2022

Three projects involving the OU’s space scientists will receive a quarter of the UK Space Agency’s (UKSA) latest investment in the British space industry. The UKSA announced the £500k funding during British Science Week (11-20 March). The OU projects are among 13 it is backing to “help pioneer new approaches to energy, communications and resources.” The […]

Ukraine explainer: Why RT has lost its UK licence

18 March 2022

As British media regulator Ofcom revokes the license of RT, the Russian international broadcaster, to broadcast in the UK, The Open University’s Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody, Lecturer in Politics and International Studies and a Russian media expert explains the decision. She outlines how the move comes after high-level political concerns over the network’s reporting of Russia’s […]

‘I just kept going, I didn’t want to quit’

16 March 2022

When it comes to helping her community, EAL Coordinator Mihaela Popa, 37, has been described as a ‘force of nature’. Despite battling COVID multiple times, even while pregnant, Mihaela won’t let anything get in the way of her dream teaching career. She shares how studying with The Open University is helping to make that dream […]

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