UK LLC shares an update on new approvals and their latest publication

In this blog, Robin Flaig, Co-Director at UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC), looks at how recent data approvals will expand research opportunities. She also explains how UK LLC is pioneering a new model for public involvement in research governance. UK LLC is jointly funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and Medical Research Council.

UK LLC has announced new approvals from NHS providers and UK Government departments – a milestone which will significantly widen opportunities for public good research. These approvals, the result of several years of collaborative work, mean researchers can now access linked longitudinal data within UK LLC’s Trusted Research Environment for a broad range of studies addressing societal challenges.

This achievement includes linking participant data from longitudinal population studies with administrative data from HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions. This work was made possible with the support of ADR UK, who played an instrumental role in bringing together the organisations needed to enable these linkages.

Transforming an idea into a live research project

Given the sensitivity of the data made available via UK LLC, public involvement is central to how we operate. Our latest project demonstrates this commitment; we worked alongside the UK LLC Citizen Panel to publish a protocol in the International Journal of Population Data Science.

This first-of-its-kind project sets out a new model for involving diverse and often seldom-heard members of the public in research governance. The model emphasises mutual learning, communication, and deliberation between researchers and the public.     

Strength in partnership

UK LLC is part of the UK’s long-standing tradition of longitudinal research, following the health and wellbeing of cohorts across lifetimes and generations.

The partnership brings together more than 20 longitudinal population studies, alongside expert teams in data curation, governance, public involvement, SeRP (Secure eResearch Platform) infrastructure, and environmental exposure modelling.

Our partner studies range from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development – the UK’s oldest and longest-running birth cohort, tracking the lives of people born in one week in 1946 – to Understanding Society, which helps researchers and policymakers understand how life in the UK is changing, and what stays the same.

With more studies joining, UK LLC offers a centralised data linkage and analysis platform that creates unparalleled research opportunities. This infrastructure enables researchers to explore complex questions on health, society, and the economy, delivering evidence that can shape policy and improve lives.

Visit us at the ADR UK Conference 2025

Interested to learn more? You can join us at our workshop on Tuesday 16 September, in collaboration with the Department for Work and Pensions. Our team will also be available to answer questions at our conference stand.

Find out more about UK LLC

• Visit the UK LLC website 
• View our range of partner longitudinal population studies
• Explore the data
• View our data documentation and Trusted Research Environment user guide 
• Apply to access data 
• Subscribe to UK LLC’s mailing list 

UK LLC is led by the Universities of Bristol and Edinburgh, with partners UCL, Swansea University, City St George’s University of London, and the University of Leicester. UK LLC has a key infrastructure partnership with Population Research UK and is funded by UK Research and Innovation, the Medical Research Council, and the Economic and Social Research Council.