Resources

AI in Research, strategic visits, and closing out 2025

December is (suddenly!) here – which means it’s time to slow down a little, reflect on our achievements, and look ahead to 2026.

It’s been a busy year at Cosmos. We have worked on some truly fantastic projects, recorded some brilliant podcast episodes, supported our clients throughout the year, and continued building resources that we hope have provided some value in people’s day-to-day work with students.

But it’s not over yet, with our latest podcast episode now live! In this final newsletter of 2025, I wanted to share our last podcast episode of the year with Sarah Askew, Head of Brand and Innovation at Strat7 ResearchBods; reflect on a recent visit with a long-standing client, and say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ before we close up shop for the festive break.

The Student Outcomes Podcast – AI in Research: Opportunities, risks, and what it means for students

In our final Student Outcomes podcast episode of the year, we are joined by researcher Sarah Askew, for a deep dive into how artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of research. 

Together, we unpack what AI means for participant engagement, data quality and research design, while exploring the ethical questions that should be considered.

The conversation covers everything from real opportunities for innovation to the risks of rushing ahead, the rise of synthetic data, and why human oversight still matters in an AI enhanced future. 

If you are curious about how AI could sharpen (or distort) insight in education, this is a thoughtful and timely discussion to close out the year.

Watch and listen now on YouTube and Spotify 👇

Strategic Partnership Visit: Humber Outreach Programme (HOP) 

Last week, we had our bi-annual strategic planning visit with Naomi Prendergast and the team at the Humber Outreach Programme (HOP), UniConnect.

These visits are always a highlight for us – as some of you may know, I also have a deep love for all things strategy; so really relish in the opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, look at what’s working, and strategically plan ahead together.

We are now in the third year of evaluating HOP’s flagship Future Thinking project, and it’s been great to see how the programme has evolved. HOP is also a licence holder for the FE Segmentation Tool and were one of the founding partners in the national study that brought it all to life.

After eight+ years (!) of working together, it’s always a pleasure to spend time with Naomi and the team 💫 the collaborative spirit hasn’t changed, even as the sector around us has.

Festive Season Closure

Our team will be taking a short festive break to rest and recharge. Cosmos will close on 19th December and reopen on 5th January.

If you need anything before the break, please feel free to reach out. We will pick up all messages once we are back in the new year.

Thank you for being part of our journey this year. We hope you have a restful break, a joyful festive season and a chance to recharge for the new term.

See you in 2026 for more insight, more collaboration and more meaningful work.