Library colleagues champion Open Research Week 2026

The OU is collaborating with Midlands Innovation and Nottingham Trent University on Open Research Week 2026 - celebrating the practices, skills and culture that make research more transparent, collaborative and impactful. The Library’s Research Support team has played an active role in planning and organising the week.

Library colleagues will contribute to a session on Rights Retention policies on Wednesday 17 March, alongside partners from Birmingham, Keele and Nottingham, sharing insight into the development of the OU’s policy and lessons learned. OU colleagues are also involved in sessions exploring the impact of Open Research on innovation, the unintended consequences of AI in academic publishing, and citizen science as a driver of collaboration and impact. All sessions are online, recorded, and open for registration.

In addition, Library colleagues are running a briefing on the new Research Publications Policy, which comes into effect on 1 March 2026. The policy simplifies Open Access publishing processes, reduces complexity, and supports the University’s commitment to strengthening a more open and effective research ecosystem. The session is relevant to all colleagues publishing research under an OU affiliation. More information about the policy and the briefing session can be found on the Library website.