Taming the DRAGoN: Building bridges for better data access and research

This blog is by Dr Damian Whittard from the University of the West of England's Data Research, Access and Governance Network (DRAGoN) team. Damian highlights their award-winning work to improve data governance and access, which will be featured in an upcoming ONS Research Excellence Series talk. DRAGoN is helping turn good data into better decisions – from building trust and transparency to shaping labour market research through ADR UK-funded projects like Wage and Employment Dynamics.

When data is used well, it has the power to transform lives. But making that happen means getting data governance right – balancing access with privacy, and utility with ethics. That’s exactly what we’ve been working on through the Data Research, Access and Governance Network – or DRAGoN – at the University of the West of England.

I’m proud that this work was recently recognised with the Organisational Excellence Award at the Office National Statistics (ONS) Research Excellence Awards. It’s a real boost, and a reminder that investing in good data governance isn’t just a technical necessity – it’s a foundation for impactful, trustworthy research.

What is DRAGoN, and why does it matter?

DRAGoN is a collaboration of researchers from law, philosophy, economics, psychology, operations management and computing, all working to tackle some of the toughest questions in data access and ethics.

We’re interested in more than just the technical ‘how’ of data use. We look at deeper issues too: What does it mean for data to be ‘sensitive’? How do we support safe data sharing without stifling innovation? And how can we build trust among the public, policymakers and researchers?

One of our strengths is translating theory into action. A great example of this is the Wage and Employment Dynamics (WED) project – a flagship collaboration that’s helping us understand how wages, job mobility and work patterns are changing across the UK.

Using data to understand work and wages

The WED project links multiple datasets from across government – including tax records, the Census, and employer surveys – to track how people move through the labour market over time. It’s a powerful tool for policymakers looking to understand wage progression, job insecurity, or the impact of new policies like minimum wage changes.

Thanks to support from ADR UK, these linked datasets are now available to accredited researchers through the ONS Secure Research Service (SRS). This means more people can use them to generate insights and create real-world impact.

We’ve worked closely with partners like the Low Pay Commission, the Resolution Foundation and London School of Economics to help shape the research and ensure it’s answering the right questions.

Real impact for policy and practice

The results speak for themselves. Policymakers are using WED data to understand low pay, employment patterns, and economic insecurity in more detail than ever before.

Tim Butcher at the Low Pay Commission said it best: “This project has considerably improved our understanding of the dynamics of earnings and employment, especially at the low pay end of the labour market… informing recommendations on the National Minimum Wage.”

We’ve also made progress internationally, supporting secure data governance across 60 health research projects in 30 countries. From developing the Five Safes framework to delivering training to 1,500 researchers a year, DRAGoN is shaping the standards that help data be both useful and safe.

Why it matters now

As the world becomes more data-driven, we need to build systems that can keep up – and that people can trust. Through projects like WED, and with continued support from ADR UK, we’re helping researchers and decision-makers get the most from data while keeping ethics and public confidence front and centre.

Our upcoming ONS Research Excellence Series talk will explore some of these insights in more detail. I hope it sparks more collaboration, innovation and thoughtful conversation about how we manage data for the public good.

Sign up for the event.