UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will invest £168m into Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) to extend its data research programme.
The project, which initially launched in 2018 has already shaped major policy decisions across health, education, justice and the economy.
In its seven years since inception ADR UK has used linked datasets to uncover insights behind some of society’s biggest challenges, from crime reduction to pay equity.
One of its headline contributions includes supporting the legislation to increase the National Living Wage by supplying data-led evidence, which helped secure real-terms pay rises for millions of workers across the UK.
In the justice sector, ADR UK has worked to help the Ministry of Justice better understand patterns of reoffending.
By identifying which offences are most commonly committed by repeat offenders, its research is aiming to help to break the cycle of crime and reduce harm to communities.
Its work with the Department for Education has also helped to tackle inequality in education and life chances, using linked datasets to boost social mobility and ensure policies reflect the lived experience of underrepresented groups.
“Data is absolutely vital when making key policy decisions to help transform lives for the better, and the Administrative Data Research UK partnership has shown that in practice, from helping to secure pay rises for millions, smashing the glass ceiling for underrepresented groups and cracking down on crime that blights our streets,” said Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle.
“By investing £168m of Government funding to extend this programme, we are backing our world class researchers to build on this work, unlocking more of the data they need to improve lives and deliver the economic growth and opportunity as part of our Plan for Change.”
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ADR UK’s purpose is to enable accredited researchers to securely access public sector data, unlocking evidence that would otherwise remain buried in government departments.
This next funding phase will see the programme take on new challenges, including using linked health and admin data to improve early cancer detection through a joint initiative with Cancer Research UK.
New linked economic datasets are also in the works, combining employment, business, benefits and income data to help policymakers understand the drivers of UK productivity and inform strategies to grow living standards.
Other recent examples of impact include evidence that contributed to minimum alcohol unit pricing policy in Scotland – estimated to save 156 lives annually – and insights used to support Wales’ COVID-era school reopening plan.
Work on outcomes for care-experienced children and reducing reoffending is also ongoing.
The investment will also expand ADR UK’s research fellowships and PhD programmes, grow its national partnerships with ADR England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as help to maintain access to trusted research environments like the Secure Research Service and SafePod network.
Dr Emma Gordon, director of ADR UK, added: “This commitment will ensure the expertise, infrastructure and momentum we have developed since we formed in 2018 will continue to expand for the benefit of all UK nations.
“We look forward to continuing our support and funding for trusted research environments, delivering more important linked datasets for research, and growing our network of accredited researchers to generate unique insights that inform policy change for public good.”