Dates and annual events

This page gives closure dates in the OU calendar and annual events run for the PGR community

Closure dates

During closure dates the University is closed and staff will not be working. 

Progress board dates

Progress Board is a group that is chaired by the Graduate School Director and made up of Faculty Directors of Research Degrees. It considers Exam Panel Nominations and complex change requests. It meets on the last Thursday of each of month.

Poster event (May/June)

The Graduate School supports an annual Postgraduate Research Student Poster event, normally in June and part of the PGR Summer Conference, which offers a unique way to engage the wider University community with your research. Researchers need to be able to convey their research ideas to a broad audience. This event, sometimes framed as a 'competition', provides students with the opportunity to practise these skills.

It also gives students the opportunity to meet other students from across the University and make useful contacts whilst raising their own profile. When the event is over, the posters can be used at further networking events, conferences and displayed within schools.

We also run an online gallery alongside the in-person poster event so students who can’t make it onto campus can display their posters.

When the event runs as a competition, the Graduate School Poster Competition website includes rules of entry.

Create Your Research (November)

'Bake Your Research' was a creative initiative that helped postgraduate researchers (PGRs) communicate their research to non-specialist audiences by conceptualising their work through cake. While initially seen as a light-hearted break, participants found it encouraged deep reflection and improved clarity of thought, ultimately enhancing communication skills across formats. It also helped strengthen personal support networks, especially for distance learners. This event has now been replaced by the broader Create Your Research programme, which continues to champion innovative and accessible research communication.

Check out previous entries to Bake Your Research:

See: 2023 entries; 2022 entries; 2021 entries; 2020 entries.