The Open Societal Challenges Programme is running a competition open to UK charities to find the most exciting research ideas tackling real-world problems.
Aiming to tackle some of the most important challenges of our time through impact-driven research The Open Societal Challenges Programme at the Open University (OU) plans to enable those outside the OU to connect with their researchers on society’s most pressing issues. The programme’s focus is on the themes of Tackling Inequalities, Living Well, and Sustainability which align with their mission to be open to people, places, methods, and ideas.
The competition is to find the most exciting research ideas tackling real-world problems.
Who Can Enter
Submissions are accepted from registered UK charities. Charity submissions must be related to the central mission of the charity. For more details regarding eligibility, please check the Competition Rules. There are also separate competition streams for Open University students and businesses based in the Milton Keynes area.
What They Are Looking For
Research ideas that aim to tackle real-world problems. They are especially keen to hear about research ideas that tackle problems in the broad thematic areas of Tackling Inequalities, Sustainability, Living Well, and International Development. In selecting the winners from their pool of finalists, they will be looking for entries where the expertise of OU researchers can make a difference.
Their Commitment
Finalists will be announced in June 2024. They will have a chance to have their entry published on the Open Societal Challenges Online Platform and may be invited to pitch their idea at a research event in the summer. At least one winner will be selected per stream, and be announced by October 2024.
The Winners
Winning Challenges will be assigned to an OU Research Team to take on the research idea and will receive a baseline of £25,000 in research funding as Open Societal Challenges. Winning charities will be invited to co-design the specifics of the research project with the research team and to contribute their perspective, knowledge and experiences to the project. The winning charity will also receive an optional paid internship for one of its employees, trustees, or volunteers with the research team to help build research capacity (hybrid or inperson). For more details, please consult the Competition Rules.
How do I Enter?
You can enter the competition at any time between 1 March 2024 and 15 May 2024. You can do this by visiting the Open Societal Challenges website and filling in the online form. Entries are limited to one entry per charity. Depending on which category you are entering, the submission form is composed of 3-4 questions, for a total of approx. 300-400 words. We highly recommend you read through the Competition Rules before starting your submission. They are keen to support any interested charities with submitting an entry. If you would like to find out more about the competition and the support available, please reach out to societal-challenges@open.ac.uk.