Research at The Open University

Research that transforms lives

We use our research to transform lives across the four nations and globally.

We take a challenge-led and open approach to research through our Open Societal Challenges (OSC).

These Challenges are driving real change across the themes of Sustainability, Tackling Inequalities and Living Well.

We need the brightest minds to address the most pressing needs of our time and we are building a more diverse next generation of research leaders to continue to support this and to broaden our horizons.

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Research at The Open University

Research news and articles

Carol Azumah Dennis, wearing a white top and smiling at the camera

Decolonial dreams: the unmarked scholar reimagines the purpose of post-16 education

In her inaugural lecture, on Thursday 3 April 2025, Carol Azumah Dennis, Professor of Education, Policy and Practice in The Open University’s Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, looked at decolonising education, offering a manifesto which envisions an alternative vision of what the sector might be.

3rd April 2025
A foodbank, with people standing behind boxes of food and bottles of waters

Food poverty: Bournemouth foodbank wins OU funding to research issue

The Open University has awarded funding from its Open Societal Challenges programme for a new project, titled ‘Sustaining Bournemouth: The Changing Face of Our Foodbank During Financial Crisis’.

3rd April 2025
Microscopic sections of three different types of pollen grains

£500k+ funding secured for OU 'Mind the Gap' project on angiosperm evolution

The Open University has secured over £500,000 in funding to support pioneering research to solve one of the longest-standing mysteries in plant evolution - the early origins and diversification of angiosperms (flowering plants).

3rd April 2025
Two people on a stage with a screen and flipcharts, in front of an audience

Science that matters: How the CARE-KNOW-DO model transforms education

Dr Alexandra Okada’s research for CARE-KNOW-DO has been recognised as one of the top 10 publications in the field, earning a finalist spot for the prestigious “Research Worth Reading” award by the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST).

3rd April 2025
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