Addressing Major Societal Challenges by Harnessing Government Data

SWINDON, England, Sept. 27 -- The Economic and Social Research Council issued the following news release:

Combined data from across government and hundreds of UK public bodies will be used to improve healthcare, education, business growth and the fight against crime by making it available to world-leading research teams.

The Administrative Data Research Partnership (ADRP) will maximise the potential of administrative data as a resource for high-quality innovative research in the UK. Supported by a pound sterling44 million investment from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, the ADRP will provide a secure route for accredited researchers to use de-identified data from across government departments, local authorities and health authorities.

High quality research projects using the data will address major societal challenges such as improved public service provision across the areas of education, healthcare and crime. Examples of issues addressed could include:

* Enabling the measurement of different levels of need in children, and to reveal the different experiences of children in the context of their families, households, schools and communities.

* The stability and financial security of older people in society, and of those heading towards retirement.

* A better understanding of firm-level productivity, and the role leadership and the impact of investment on productivity in different sectors of the UK economy.

* Exploring the factors affecting a person's entry and exit from the labour market throughout their working ages.

To meet the UK's ambitions to be a world-leader in big data, the government is clear in the modern Industrial Strategy that we need the infrastructure to support these efforts, and over pound sterling1 billion was invested through the AI Sector Deal to create a country with world class digital capabilities.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah said: "Big data can unlock answers to big challenges with the ultimate goal of improving lives. Understanding links between childhood health problems and their education, or understanding how employees report their wellbeing can help tailor appropriate support to ensure people achieve their full potential.

"Putting big data at the fingertips of experts will help the UK maintain its place as a world-leader in innovative problem solving, a key ambition of our modern Industrial Strategy."

The ADRP will adhere to established ethical practices regarding the use of data, with full safeguards in place for its use and for the protection of information. The Digital Economy Act 2017 has provided a legal gateway for researchers to access government data in a secure way, subject to meeting published criteria.

The UK Statistics Authority will accredit researchers, projects and data processors, to ensure data are used securely and appropriately, that all analyses are in the public interest and that ethical standards, appropriate to the nature of the research, are observed.

With 25 Ministerial departments, three devolved administrations, 20 non-ministerial departments, 391 agencies and other public bodies, and at least 326 local authorities across the UK, government data provides a huge resource that could be used as a force for good by researchers working on issues ranging from productivity to education, crime to health care and business growth to wellbeing.

The ADRP led by the ESRC will strategically acquire and curate admin data to drive high-quality research and impact around prioritised policy themes within the UK.

UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, Professor Sir Mark Walport said: "Excellent policy making requires excellent evidence. The Administrative Data Research Partnership provides an exceptional opportunity for researchers to work with data brought together from many public bodies in a safe, secure environment.

"This type of analysis has already started to prove valuable for analysing educational and work outcomes, in relation to social factors and participation in different educational programmes.

"The opportunities to influence and support policy making in areas ranging from health and education, to productivity and national resilience, are enormous."

ESRC will be working in close partnership with the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, the UK's National Statistical Institute, and largest independent producer of official statistics, and also alongside the chief statisticians for the devolved administrations and their teams to deliver the new data infrastructure.

Professor Jennifer Rubin, ESRC's Executive Chair said: "Access to administrative data is of critical strategic importance for the social sciences and wider research in the UK, because it allows us to answer questions that will improve the provision of public services and a range of outcomes. The Administrative Data Research Partnership will provide a secure route for accredited researchers to access de-identified data to do so.

"UKRI will host a Strategic Hub which will be catalytic in enabling data that already exists across government to support high-quality research, that can produce insights into policy areas and help address major challenges that exist in society today across themes such as housing, education, health and wellbeing.

"I am delighted that ESRC is leading this work for UK Research and Innovation and partnering with the Office for National Statistics to bring about a step change in the way data infrastructure is used to drive improvements here in the UK."

National Statistician and Permanent Secretary with executive responsibility for the Office for National Statistics, John Pullinger said: "The UK is experiencing a data revolution. New and previously unimaginable sources are becoming available along with the analytical tools and expertise that together will increase and improve the evidence available to decision makers in Government, business and beyond.

"This partnership unites the skills and experience of the ONS, the ESRC and the devolved administrations and provides the crucial assurance that data will be used securely, ethically, transparently and firmly in the public interest."