ADR UK funds Academic Lead team to drive economic data use for impactful research

ADR UK is delighted to announce funding for an ADR UK Academic Lead team focused on driving secure economic public-sector data use, working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). This project will deliver a step change in administrative data for economics research that benefits the public and supports economic growth in the UK.

The grant has been awarded to a team led by the University of the West of England, with Felix Ritchie, Professor of Applied Economics, as the project lead. The team will support ADR UK’s key government partners to facilitate and deliver better linked administrative data and policy relevant research from 2026 – 2031. 

This team will be one of a collection of ADR UK Academic Leads maximising the value of ADR UK flagship datasets. They will focus on: 

• strengthening researcher skills and knowledge to use ADR UK flagship datasets for public good research 
• representing researchers in the continuous improvement of flagship datasets to answer pressing policy questions
• building and sustaining an active, engaged community of researchers using the data 
• further expanding policy relevant and impactful use of flagship datasets.

The team will help to maximise the impact generated through ADR UK’s economic flagship datasets, working directly with the UK government departments who own this data. They will support data owners to maintain, enhance and promote their flagship datasets, with a focus on driving research for public good, increasing available data for research, and maintaining public trust.

What the Academic Lead team will deliver

The team will provide academic expertise for ADR UK and our key government partners, DWP and HMRC, who are working to deliver better economic data.

Specifically, they will support three key work packages:

1. RAPID: The team will lead work to scale up the research use of the RAPID: Population interactions with employment, benefits and pensions – UK dataset, an ADR UK flagship dataset recently made available for secure research use. This will include providing training and support for researchers, advising data owners on potential improvements, and building a sustained community of practice. 
2. LEED: They will advise DWP, HMRC and the Office for National Statistics on plans for the construction and scalable research use of a new Linked Employee-Employer Dataset (LEED) for the UK. They will also provide training and support for researchers when this data is accessible.
3. Public engagement: The team will support DWP, HMRC and ADR UK with the development and running of a public representative panel to inform the research use and future development of both RAPID and LEED. 

Informing economic policy, improving lives

Supporting economic stability and driving growth are pressing UK policy priorities. When used securely for research, linked administrative data is a powerful resource that can generate insight to inform and support these aims, and ultimately improve people’s lives across the UK. Enabling this kind of research is at the heart of ADR UK’s mission. 

By funding an ADR UK Academic Lead team, we are helping to ensure the UK public receives maximum benefit from research using our economic flagship datasets. The team will provide a key bridge between academia and government, helping to ensure the data can be used to generate insights that can inform policy and practice. 

With both DWP and HMRC formalised as ADR UK core partners this year, the grant presents an opportunity to further strengthen this collaboration and embed academic expertise in the delivery of administrative data for economic research.

HMRC welcomes the Better Economic Data Academic Lead award and is excited to support this important initiative. We are actively championing efforts to make HMRC administrative data more accessible for research in secure environments. We look forward to working with the academic team and partners across government and academia to unlock new insights that support better policy and public services.”

- Alison Woodhouse, Chief Analyst at HMRC

DWP are delighted to be able to work with this team of academic leads to help us shape understanding and maximise use of our great data products. Our aim is that the team will bridge some of the gap between government analysts and academia, and will help to make our existing data even more accessible and usable for wider research, as well as help to develop new data products.”

- Graham Knox, Head of Analytical Community Data Services Unit at DWP

Building research potential and capability

The team’s work will help to fill critical gaps in provision of economic data for research, expanding the possibilities for data-driven research on this theme. They will support a more streamlined experience for researchers working with the data and deliver training and support to upskill the research community. 

They will also play a key role in maintaining public trust in research using administrative data, through the delivery of meaningful public engagement activities throughout the grant, ensuring public views inform data use. 

This Academic Lead team joins ADR UK’s collection of academic leads, helping to maximise the value and impact of our flagship economic datasets. Working closely with DWP, HMRC, ONS and the research community, the team will help address a longstanding gap in economic data for research, enabling new insights to inform policy, support growth and deliver public benefit.”

- Karen Powell, Head of Research Strategy and Commissioning at ADR UK

About the award 

The full economic cost of this award is just over £2 million, with ADR UK funding 80% of this cost. The grant will be led by Professor Felix Ritchie. He said:

We are extremely excited to be the Academic Lead team working with DWP and HMRC. These major public data assets have the potential to transform labour market research and policy making. 

The UK is a leader in secure access to confidential data for research, and in engaging with the public to build the social compact for transformative projects like this. It’s great to see research, infrastructure and public interest coming together like this. We expect that this project will have a wider positive effect on UK research and policymaking than just these two datasets, and we’re very proud to be part of this.”

The full Academic Lead team includes:

• Damian Whittard, University of the West of England     
• Van Phan, University of the West of England     
• Alexander Bryson, University College London
• Darja Reuschke, University of Birmingham       
• Carl Singleton, University of Stirling
• Rachel Scarfe, University of Stirling      
• John Forth, City St George’s, University of London         
• Emma Turner, Bristol University 
• Jakob Schneebacher, Institute for Fiscal Studies           
• Tom Waters, Institute for Fiscal Studies 
• Augustin de Coulon, King's College London 
• Paul Mizen, King's College London         
• Rebecca Riley, King's College London.

Find out more 

If you’re a researcher interested in working with administrative data for public good economics research:

Explore our economic flagship datasets