Research partnerships

Successful partnerships form the cornerstone of our world class research and enterprise programme.  Our network of national and regional centres makes us uniquely placed to develop partnerships with organisations throughout the UK and beyond.  

We have a successful track record of developing long-lasting and mutually-beneficial partnerships with organisations within the business sector, government bodies and the charitable sector.

Below are examples of some of our most recent research partnerships. For more information on these and other research partnerships or to discuss how to form a partnership with the OU please email the Enterprise Team.

Examples of our recent research partnerships

Centre for Electronic Imaging

The Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI) is a long term partnership between the School of Physical Sciences and Teledyne e2v focused on the development of novel imaging sensors for space and high performance science applications. The partnership catalyses the development of technology from the OU’s spaceflight instrumentation laboratories to the commercial sector and has significantly enhanced knowledge exchange between the partners. In addition to a portfolio of over 30 research projects, the CEI facilitates reciprocal access to research facilities between the partners, the development of bespoke training opportunities and the creation of a pipeline of highly skilled post-doctoral students.

Centre for Policing Research and Learning

The Policing Consortium is a growing collaboration between 18 police forces and The Open University that brings together the key knowledge, skills and experience of academics with those of practitioners. The partnership allows a genuinely collaborative approach into research and the analysis of problems that will improve policing. The centre also offers a wide range of educational courses and qualifications, and a range of innovative activities designed to maximise learning between members of the police, between police organisations, and between the police and academics.

MK: Smart

The MK: Smart project brought together a partnership of 21 organisations including Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), charities, research organisations, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and multinational companies to develop innovative solutions to support economic growth in Milton Keynes. The aim of MK: Smart was to use a combination of cutting edge digital technologies and citizen engagement to create a revolution in energy and water use, transport systems, enterprise and education within Milton Keynes. Central to the project was the creation of the state-of-the-art ‘MK Data Hub’ which provided a resource for citizens and organisation within Milton Keynes through the acquisition and management of vast amounts of data relevant to city.