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What is administrative data?

Funding Opportunities

The ADR UK Strategic Hub manages a dedicated Fund for commissioning projects using administrative data in line with ADR England’s mission.

ADR England's mission is to:

  • create, enhance and make linked administrative data more accessible for research;
  • substantially increase cross-cutting research that enhances our understanding of society to inform policy and improve lives; and
  • develop administrative data research skills in the wider research community.

An initial commitment to build new research datasets and carry out innovative research of importance to key public policy areas has resulted in a portfolio of new research-ready datasets that we are keen to widen approved researcher access to. We are therefore providing funding opportunities to enable research using these new datasets, through competitive open calls such as our Research Fellowship Scheme (see below), as well as seeking further opportunities for the creation of new, linked datasets and streamlining secure access to existing data for research. We also seek out and signpost other research funding opportunities that can benefit from the linked administrative data we work with our partners to curate.

In addition, we are working to grow the body of researchers who have the awareness, skills and access to use administrative data for social research. We are developing learner pathways by identifying training needs and opportunities which will support researchers who are looking to utilise the potential of administrative data for research in the public interest; further information coming soon.

ADR UK will continue to remain alert to further opportunities to fund the curation and use of linked administrative datasets for research to improve lives.

A regularly updated list of grants awarded from the ADR UK Strategic Hub Fund is available in the publications section of our website.

ADR UK Research Fellowships 

ADR UK is funding, via open competition, some of the first researchers accredited by the 2017 Digital Economy Act to use our newly linked administrative datasets for research in the public interest.

The ADR UK Research Fellowship Scheme, developed in collaboration with the respective data owners, aims to ensure the first users of the data will be researchers whose work will be scientifically valuable and policy relevant. Data owner engagement and expectations, as well as engagement with key policy stakeholders, are built into the scheme.

Research Fellows conduct research and analysis to derive insights from linked datasets, showcase their potential for policy impact and public benefit, and develop them as useful research resources for future users. The data is held and will be made available to Fellows via the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service (SRS).

You can find out about current and closed Research Fellowship opportunities below.

Methods Development Grants 

ADR UK is also working with colleagues at ESRC to fund Methodological Development Grants. These opportunities invite proposals for research which aims to support the social science community to work collaboratively across sectors and disciplines to address common methodological challenges. ADR UK is funding work that aims to address challenges associated specifically with the use of administrative data for research. The first of these opportunities was launched in February 2020; applications closed on 11 June 2020. Read about the funded projects.

To be the first to hear about new funding opportunities, please sign up to our mailing list. Details of any current open calls to fund research using administrative data are listed below.

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