Pilot Summary Report: Building the first Public Data Panel in Northern Ireland

This report on the pilot of the Northern Ireland Public Data Panel (NIPDP) recommends establishing a public panel to consider how data is used in research, innovation and decision-making in Northern Ireland.

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Objectives

Under principles set out by best practice across the UK, this project aimed to pilot a groundwork model for widening the range of perspectives on the use of data and, with publics, create better science and innovation for public benefit, by way of:

• developing public data literacy 
• testing public assumptions about data and its use in research 
• defining what ‘public good’ means in the context of data utility
• inclusion of the public and their views in the governance and orchestration of service design and delivery
• helping to shape the direction of data use and accessibility for service improvement, data-focused research and policymaking in Northern Ireland.

Next steps

The learning from the NIPDP pilot has informed the implementation plan for NIPDP and how it can function as key infrastructure enabling public dialogue on issues surrounding the use of data for public benefit. With funding secured, via ADRC NI, phase one commenced in April 2022 to enact the findings of the NIPDP pilot and formally establish the first Northern Ireland Public Data Panel.