Research Groups

The School of Social Sciences and Global Studies hosts a number of interdisciplinary faculty and university research groupings open to all staff, post-doctoral researchers and postgraduate students across the Faculty and University:

Centre for Global Challenges and Social Justice (GCSJ)

Established in October 2021, the Centre for Global Challenges and Social Justice (GCSJ) in the school provides critical, interdisciplinary insight, and innovative, social justice driven solutions to challenges facing contemporary global societies. The Centre’s ambition is to understand the historical and structural underpinnings of contemporary societies; the systems of oppressions and inequalities they reproduce; and the resistances and struggles they generate.

Harm & Evidence Research Collaborative (HERC)

HERC is a unique multidisciplinary and cross faculty research collaborative that unites contemporary practice-based research and critical policy analysis in crime, harm, policing, criminal justice and criminalisation, with an awareness of historical, psychological and social contexts.

International Development and Inclusive Innovation

This research centre is an institution-wide, interdisciplinary, multi-million-pound research network which offers a collegial and supportive space for researchers, and collaborates with OU researchers, international networks, and institutions based in local communities to help develop solutions that bring about change.

Citizenship and Governance

This interdisciplinary research centre aims to rethink the changing relationships between governance, institutions and citizens, with a focus on Collaborative and Inclusive Governance; Digital Participation; Faith in Law; Justice, Borders and Rights; Gender, Intimacies and Sexuality; and Public Leadership and Management.

OpenSpace Research Centre

OpenSpace promotes research into geographical and environmental questions, motivated by the 'big issues' - the broad challenges that face the world, including: how we live together better; how can we inherit the past responsibly; how might we bequeath better futures to others?

Values and Reasons

This research group explores values, reasons, and reasoning about values, exploring, fostering individual and collaborative research on topics related to values and reasons.

Innogen | Institute for Innovation Generation in the Life Sciences

The Innogen Institute, is a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and The Open University that builds on fundamental and applied research in science, medicine, engineering and social science to produce high quality research. In doing so it supports the delivery of innovation that is profitable, safe and societally useful.