aims and activities

The Open University Centre for Technology Strategy (CTS) was established in 1988 within the Faculty of Technology as a meeting place where researchers and educators could collaborate beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries - bridging systems, design, development, engineering and business.

CTS's key foci are:

Innovation:

the management of technology, particularly R&D strategy, organisation innovation and learning, value-chain analysis and design management, in relation to information technology, renewable energy technology, biotechnology and consumer products.

Environment:

the interactions between technology and the environment, including eco-design, energy efficiency and renewable energy systems, and risk and failures analysis, with major emphasis on the development of sustainable technologies.

Development:

with particular expertise in technology strategies and industrial networks, livelihoods and security, global environmental policies, the relationship between state, NGO and private institutions, and technologies in transition.