The battle for engaged research by The Open University

The Open University demonstrated its commitment to excellent research in July (2015) when it announced renewed investment in three new priority areas – Space Science, International Development and Citizenship and Governance – plus a continued investment in Technology Enhanced Learning.

Download a copy of An Open Research University

Professor Richard Holliman writes in the preface, "This is the final report of The Open University’s RCUK-funded Public Engagement with Research Catalyst, ‘An open research university’ (EP/J020087/1). The project ran over three years (2012-2015) and involved academic staff andprofessional services from across the large, complex organisation that is The Open University.

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Photo: Richard Holliman 

The report has been written by a number of key contributors to the project. The different voices of these authors represent some of the diversity in how engaged research is being conceptualised in different academic domains at The Open University.

Running in parallel with the growth of OU research, there has been an initiative to make OU research more engaged. This was made possible by the OU receiving funding from Research Councils UK to become one of eight Public Engagement with Research Catalyst universities.

The three year project, which has just ended, embedded engaged research within the OU’s strategic planning for research in a way which encouraged researchers to engage more with their publics, measure this engagement, and to benefit from reward and recognition schemes for their efforts.

Spotlight on school-university engagement with research 


In the conclusion to the final project report, Professor Richard Holliman, who led The Open University’s Public Engagement with Research Catalyst Team, argues that there is still a battle to be won for open and engaged research. For a culture of engaged research to be sustainable in the medium to long-term requires ongoing recognition and acceptance of its progressive value(s) by researchers, universities, funders and ultimately, policy-makers.
Download a copy of An Open Research University.

Source: The Open University and Richard Holliman Channel (YouTube)