Strengthening research through communities of practice
Categories: Blogs, ADR UK Partnership
5 May 2026
This blog by Dr Bogusia Wojciechowska, Senior Research Manager for Training & Capacity Building at ADR UK, reflects on the growing role of communities of practice in administrative data research, and the impact they are having in building skills, confidence and collaboration across the researcher community.
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of supporting researchers as they build skills, confidence, and connections across the administrative data landscape. One thing I’ve learned time and again is this: when people come together around a shared purpose, really powerful things happen.
In my role as Senior Research Manager for Training and Capacity Building at ADR UK, I get to work closely with researchers at all stages of their careers. What continually inspires me is the generosity people bring to these spaces—the willingness to share lessons learned, to admit uncertainty, and to support one another through what can sometimes feel like a complex (but incredibly rewarding) research environment.
Across administrative data research, communities of practice have become an essential way for people to learn and connect. They help researchers build confidence, navigate data access and governance, and find practical solutions by learning from others who’ve faced similar challenges. Just as importantly, they create trusted, informal spaces where it’s okay to ask questions openly—something that can make a huge difference, especially for early career researchers. They also create space for leadership to emerge naturally.
Celebrating our ADR England Research Community Catalysts
The Community Catalysts are a brilliant example of what’s possible when people with shared interests come together. Your energy, creativity, and commitment have turned early ideas into thriving, supportive networks. You’ve laid foundations that will continue to grow and evolve well beyond this phase of work—and shown just how powerful collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual encouragement can be.
Find out about the work of the two programmes:
Growing the network
Building on the Community Catalyst initiative, and with support from ADR UK, a number of new affiliated communities of practice are now up and running, with more emerging as interest continues to grow.
Already launched:
- Administrative Data for Social Policy Research (ADSoP) at Manchester Metropolitan University
- UK Data Linkage Community: Contact Dr Mike Edwards: Michael.edwards@swansea.ac.uk
Launching soon:
- Crime and Justice Administrative Data Network, launch event 28 May 2026. Register your interest to attend.
- Nursing & Midwifery Population Data Research Community. Launching on 2 June 2026. Contact Prof Iain Atherton: i.atherton@napier.ac.uk
- Education Inequality and Policy Evaluation Community (EIPEC) at Cambridge University. Contact Dr Pallavi Banerjee: pab221@cam.ac.uk
Stay connected
Last month, we launched our ADR UK affiliate communities newsletter. It’s a great way to stay up to date on new communities, upcoming events, and opportunities to get involved. If you’d like to receive these updates, you can sign up here.
If you’re thinking about developing a community yourself, or if you have ideas or questions, please get in touch.
