Praise from the top for OU's international development role

One of the aims of this year’s extensive 50^thanniversary celebrations has been to raise The Open University’s profile, and where international development is concerned, this seems to be having some success. We are delighted to report Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon praising our ‘increasingly important role’ in this area, referencing in particular the ongoing ZEST project which the Scottish Government is supporting.
 
The OU has also been giving evidence to Parliament on the topical issue of flooding and climate change, and contributing to the debate on UK health inequalities. We also report on a new OU interactive where you can play the role of an African Finance Minister spending your country’s oil wealth. And there's news from our partner organisation, INNOGEN.

There are plenty of events coming up after the summer break, including a new series of our International Development Seminars, and the Pan-Commonwealth Forum co-hosted by The Open University with the Commonwealth of Learning, in Edinburgh. You can find all the details below.
 
ID@OU

News and research round-up

‘Open University is playing an increasingly important role in international development’
Scotland’s First Minister cites the ZEST programme in a tribute to the OU’s international work. Read and watch…

Black women almost twice as likely to suffer stillbirths
Dr Jenny Douglas of The Open University's Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies faculty, who is founder of the Black Women’s Health and Wellbeing Research, contributes to a newspaper article about inequalities in maternal health care. Read more…

Climate change: ‘people need to be treated as adults’
Open University geographer Dr George Revill outlines his research to the Parliamentary inquiry on coastal flooding and climate change, suggesting that creative arts–science based public engagement can combat disengagement and polarised views. Read more…

Become an African Minister for a day
A new OpenLearn interactive invites participants to have a go at spending a country’s oil wealth fairly and effectively. Read more…

Chris Warkup appointed Visiting Professor at Innogen
The former Director and CEO of the Knowledge Transfer Network takes up a new role with our partner organisation Innogen. Read more… 

Asylum lawyers ‘suffering from emotional toll’ of work
Report on Law lecturer Neil Graffin’s research into the effects of hearing asylum seekers’ harrowing stories also highlights the negative effects of the climate around Brexit. Read more…

UK universities enrol more EU students offshore pre-Brexit
This THES article, describing how the number of European Union students studying for UK degrees overseas has soared as universities seek to combat the expected impact of Brexit, also states that The Open University is one of the UK’s three largest transnational education providers, who between them account for 52 percent of the total market. Read more... 

Contribution to TIBA initiatives on IP, health and innovation in Africa
Dr Geoff Banda, Innogen co-director and member of the OU's Innovation, Knowledge and Development research grouping, has been involved in initiatives on intellectual property and the Research for Health and Innovation Strategy for Africa. Read more…

What does Boris Johnson mean for international development?
International development network Bond scrutinises the new Prime Minister’s views, and invites input into its preparations for working with the new Government. Read more... 

Opportunities

Call for papers for Open Impact Conference
The call for papers for the Open Impact conference in Kampala 13-14 December 2019 (see Events below) closes Saturday 24 August. Read more…

Events

Pan-Commonwealth Forum. Innovations for Quality Education and Lifelong Learning
9-12 September, Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Co-hosted by The Open University and the Commonwealth of Learning. Read more…

31st Annual EAEPE Conference
12-15 September, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland
Keynote speech by Smita Srinivas, Visiting Professor in The Open University School of Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Development, Geography. Read more…

IKD lunchtime seminar. Accounting for which past? Transitional justice and colonial continuities in Burundi (part of the Open University International Development Seminar Series)
25 September, 12:00-14:00, CMR 06, The Open University, Walton Hall Campus, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Building on ethnographic fieldwork in Burundi, this presentation addresses how colonial continuities are being reproduced in various forms through transitional justice. Speaker: Dr Astrid Jamar, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Open University. Read more and register...

Open Impact Conference. Extending the frontiers of access to higher education in Africa: strategies for leveraging online and distance learning programs
13-14 December, Hotel Africana, Kampala, Uganda
This conference organised by The Open University Business School, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and Makerere University, will bring stakeholders together to co-create a strategic vision for Open and Distance Learning in Africa for the future. Read more and register…