ID@OU: News & Events

Fully-funded studentships

The Open University is currently inviting applications for fully-funded studentships under the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership.

The studentships are funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and can be studied part-time or full-time.

Applicants can choose from a number of pathways, including citizenship, development policy and practice, geography, innovation in learning, and health and wellbeing.

This is a fantastic opportunity, and we very much look forward to receiving applications (closing date is 11 January 2019).

More information about the pathways and application process, as well as details of a webinar on 14 November for prospective students, can be found on our website.

ID@OU

News & Research round-up

Open University to co-host Pan-Commonwealth Forum 2019
The Open University (OU) will co-host the ninth Pan-Commonwealth Forum (PCF9) on Open Learning with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). Taking place 9-12 September 2019, the Forum will be held at the historic Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Read more…

Designing online courses for refugees
The Open University’s MOOC platform, Futurelearn, is part of the Partnership for Digital Learning and Increased Access (PADILEIA), a consortium led by Kings College to increase access to higher education and improve the career prospects of young adults across Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Read more…

How a force for good is tackling poverty
A blog by Jonquil Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Economics and Personal Finance, in which she talks about a recent workshop by the Finance Innovation Lab to discuss ideas to tackle the poverty premium. Read more…

The Environmental Costs of Trump’s Wall
As the President of the United States of America confirms plans to cut foreign aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador because of the looming 'migrant caravan', Dr Shonil Bhagwat, Lecturer in Geography at The Open University, reflects on the environmental impact of a ‘Trump Wall’. Published as part of the OU’s Year of Mygration. Read more…

New free course: Understanding Antibiotic Resistance
This is a new course coming soon from The Open University’s OpenLearn team and will introduce participants to the science behind the problem of antibiotic resistance. Read more…

Migrant children feel the need to “fit in”
Dr Fidèle Mutwarasibo, Visiting Research Fellow in the OU’s Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership, blogs about the experiences of migrant children who have resettled in new societies and the notion of feeling 'normal'. This is part of OU’s Year of Mygration. Read more…

Blog highlights the 'massively untapped' skills refugees have that are being missed
Robert Mpiira, BRAC International’s Country Research Coordinator in Uganda, and current Commonwealth Scholarship student studying for an MSc in Development Management with the OU, discusses the role of refugees in development management. This is part of OU’s Year of Mygration. Read more…

Sharing ideas about inclusive innovation policy
Professor Theo Papaioannou, DPP and Director of Innogen Institute, participated in a roundtable/steering meeting on ‘Inclusive Innovation Policy’ after accepting an invitation from Nesta. The meeting brought together a small group of expert policymakers, practitioners and researchers from across the UK, working on inclusive innovation policy to share ideas about how to take this agenda forwards.

Publication: Innovation as a political process of development
Professor Theo Papaioannou, DPP and Director of Innogen Institute and Professor Smita Srinivas, Visiting Professor, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, published 'Innovation as a political process of development: are neo-Schumpeterians value neutral?' in Innovation and Development (first published online). Read more…

Innogen research contributes to UK plans for future governance of innovation
Professor Joyce Tait, Co-Director of the Innogen Institute – a collaboration between the OU and Edinburgh University– contributes to a letter that highlights to Government the opportunity to develop further its approach to regulation of, and investment in, innovative technologies. Read more…

Opportunities

Imagine! Festival of Ideas & Politics, 25-31 March 2019 (Belfast) [for OU colleagues only]
The Open University is inviting ideas for the Imagine! Festival of Ideas and Politics to be held in Belfast between 25-31 March 2018. The OU ran a very successful programme of events in 2018 involving colleagues from across the Faculty and SRA, and we would like to invite ideas for events at the festival in 2018. Deadline: 9 November. Read more…

Call for Panels: DSA2019 - Opening up Development
DSA2019 (taking place at The Open University 19-21 June) invites proposals for panels and workshops that engage critically with dimensions of Opening up Development. A key aim is for all panels to attempt to combine academic and practitioners work within most panels. Deadline 14 November. Read more about the event and the call.

ESRC-fully-funded doctoral studentships available at The Open University
The Open University invites applications for full-time and part-time studentships in its suite of pathways within The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership. Pathways include: citizenship, development policy and practice, geography, innovation in learning, and health and wellbeing. Deadline: 11 January, 2019. More information…

Pre-call announcement: NORFACE: Democratic governance in a turbulent age
NORFACE will be announcing a new transnational research programme on democratic governance in December. The main focus of this research programme will be on understanding the precise nature of the recent turbulence in democratic politics and governance in Europe, how European states can negotiate it and how they can develop strategies to enhance the quality of democratic politics and governance. Read more…

Events

Untangling the reproduction of gender inequalities in the Uzbek economic transition
(part of the Open University International Development Seminar Series)
28 November, 12:00-14:00, Library Seminar Room 6, The Open University, Walton Hall Campus, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA
Despite the important international political economy work on capitalist market transition, its gender dimension remains underexplored. Dr Lorena Lombardozzi, Lecturer in Economics, explores as part of the OU International Development Seminar Series. Read more…

Multisectoral Analysis and Global Trade
30 November, 14:00-18:45, Room DTH G5, Deptford Town Hall, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross Rd, London SE14 6AF
Jointly organized by Ariel Wirkierman of the Institute of Management Studies (Goldsmiths, University of London) and Andrew Trigg of The Open Political Economy Group (IKD, The Open University), this event will provide a multisectoral analysis of trade, including both theoretical and empirical approaches. Read more…

The future of co-operation: What challenges can it meet? What challenges does it face?
5 December, 12:30-18:00 (including lunch and drinks), Library Seminar Room 1&2, The Open University, Walton Hall Campus, MK7 6AA
With more than 1 billion members worldwide, co-operatives are a significant global phenomenon. This seminar, organised by Development Policy and Practice at The Open University, will focus on two thematic areas of social and economic hardship and education, and then reflect further on the future of co-operation. There will be many speakers at the event, including from The Open University, The Co-operative College, independent researchers and consultants. Read more…

The case for operationalizing the financialization of the non-financial corporation (NFC): some suggestions
(part of the Open University International Development Seminar Series)
12 December, 12:00-14:00, venue TBC
Since the 2008 financial crisis, financialization has become widely discussed as a topic, but often with little clarity regarding its nature. Compounding this problem of definition, financialization is discussed at many levels of analysis from the macro-economic, down to that of the individual person. This event will discuss these topics, presented by Pauline Gleadle, Emeritus Professor at the University of Westminster and Visiting Professor at The Open University (FASS). Read more…

Celebrating Sixteen Years of Innogen Research in Innovation and Development: Looking Backward and Looking Forward
28 February, 14:00-17:00, Berrill Lecture Theatre, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
The event will bring together colleagues from academia, policy, politics and practice to celebrate Innogen’s achievements but also to discuss the implementation challenges of the UK’s new industrial strategy in the post-Brexit era. To register, email FASS-PPEDG-Support@open.ac.uk, FAO Sheila Hobbs.