Bringing the ADR UK community together: Why Research Data Scotland supports this conference
Categories: Blogs, Events, Conferences, ADR Scotland, ADR UK Partnership
26 June 2025
This blog by Nora Cooke O’Dowd, Chief Data Officer at Research Data Scotland (RDS), introduces how RDS is supporting the ADR UK community and why the organisation values its involvement as a Gold Sponsor for the ADR UK Conference 2025.
Improving access to public sector data
RDS was created to improve researcher access to Scotland’s public sector data.
Our vision is to promote and advance health and social wellbeing in Scotland by enabling timely and cost-effective access to public sector data about people, places and businesses. Using this data, we facilitate collaborative data-driven research and innovation in the public good.
Supporting the ADR Scotland programme
Since April 2023, RDS has received additional funding from the Scottish Government to specifically support the delivery of the ADR Scotland programme, — particularly in the practical data work of ingesting and updating datasets. As a delivery partner of ADR Scotland, we help scale up research opportunities and accelerate the delivery of linkable, research-ready datasets.
Our team has worked closely with partners to deliver several datasets that are now available for research. We’ve built on good practice already in place, adopting and adapting existing systems and processes where appropriate, and introducing new approaches that have helped us deliver at pace. Last year, our joint work with the Scottish Government was recognised with an ADR UK award for Outstanding Teamwork.
We play a strategic role within the data ecosystem in Scotland, bringing together all partner organisations that support researcher access. This empowers us not only to improve current systems but also to help transform them for the future.
Why this conference matters
We know the value of administrative data research in shaping policies that can change people’s lives for the better. That’s why we’re proud to sponsor this year’s ADR UK Conference. The conference is a wonderful opportunity to explore how public sector research is being used to generate insights right across the UK. The quality and breadth of the programme in previous years have sparked engaging discussions with delegates — many of which have gone on to inform the work we’re doing with ADR Scotland and partners.
One of the many benefits of coming together at an event like this is the collaboration across the four nations and beyond. It’s a chance to learn about projects, explore different approaches and common challenges — leading to potential shared solutions. I’d recommend the conference to anyone interested in the many ways public data is being used for public good research. It’s also the perfect place to make lasting, valuable connections across the UK data landscape and to reconnect with colleagues. I get more and more out of the conference each time I attend, and know I’ll come away again this year buzzing with new ideas for collaboration and improvement.
See you in September!
I’m really looking forward to September, when we’ll once again hear from so many passionate researchers working with public sector data. Access to de-identified administrative data is crucial for what they do, and the ability to link this data safely and securely is helping us collectively build a more comprehensive picture of UK society than ever before. I’m delighted that RDS can contribute to this work through our role as a delivery partner on ADR Scotland.
RDS will be presenting across seven sessions as part of this year’s programme, so please do come along to our presentations or take a moment to view our posters. You can also stop by our exhibition stand and say hello — we’d love to chat!
The ADR UK Conference 2025 is set to be a key event for the data research community, bringing together experts, policymakers and innovators to explore the future of administrative data research.
