News & articles

A band with two people on guitars and one on drums playing on a stage, with a person wearing a green hat with shamrocks on it dancing in front of them

New OU research grant looks at music as cultural refuge in Northern Ireland

A new Open University research project, Music as Cultural Refuge, has been awarded £186,751 by the Arts & Humanities Research Council to explore how young people in Northern Ireland used music to navigate the emotional and social pressures of the Troubles.

19th June 2026
The planet Mars against a black background

OU to support mission to search for signs of ancient life on Mars

The Open University has been awarded £254,000 from the UK Space Agency to advance the UK’s scientific leadership on the European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin Rover Mission, launching in 2028.

18th June 2026
The bright lights and pink and purple swirls of starts and galaxies  against a black background

OU researchers win major grant to probe how galaxies grow and evolve

A new Open University research project will use cutting edge space telescope data and advanced cosmological simulations to uncover how galaxies like our own Milky Way were built.

17th June 2026
Petrol pump display

US defies forecasts of economic slowdown, but it's growth isn't making ordinary people better off

US economic growth is picking up again after a slowdown towards the end of 2025. According to price data released on May 28, US GDP grew by 1.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026

10th June 2026
Erica Borgstrom with long dark hair and a flowery black and white top, standing next to Rebecca L. Jones, who is wearing glasses, a white t-shirt and a red jacket, with a light and dark blue background

Reimagining sexuality, ageing and death

In their inaugural lectures on 3 June 2026, Professors Rebecca L. Jones and Erica Borgstrom delivered two inaugural lectures exploring how we understand sexuality and ageing, death and grief.

2nd June 2026
A river bankside, with a duck on the river and a kingfisher sitting on a branch above the river

Open living lab's digital resources now available

In a major step toward public engagement, The Open University's Weston OpenLiving Lab's digital resources have been made accessible via the award winning, OpenSTEM Labs platform, allowing users to view wildlife footage, explore live camera feeds, and access environmental data such as soil temperature and weather conditions.

28th May 2026
A diverse group of men and women sitting round a table outside whilst eating

OU launches free toolkit to support health and wellbeing in midlife and beyond

A new, free toolkit, developed by Open University researchers, in partnership with the Campaign for Learning, is launching during Learning at Work Week.

19th May 2026
A graphic showing images of different pregnant women

OU helps employers address motherhood penalty

Despite growing government action to support working families, many mothers continue to face significant barriers when returning to work and progressing their careers after starting a family.

1st May 2026
Dr Alessandra Marino, dressed in black top and trousers, standing in front of lots of multi-coloured flags

OU senior lecturer presents at UK delegation

Dr Alessandra Marino has joined the United Kingdom delegation to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, contributing to international discussions on the governance and sustainability of outer space activities.

24th April 2026
A disabled person, sitting in a wheelchair in a library, with several books in their lap

Report calls for seven steps for equity for disabled students

A new collaborative report from The Open University and Disabled Students UK sets out a clear roadmap for improving the experiences of disabled doctoral students across the UK’s higher education sector.

9th April 2026
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