How do we work with government?
Our tailored approach to working with government across all four UK nations is central to our success.
We adapt our strategies to meet specific needs and research priorities, enabling collaboration across government departments, as well as between government, trusted research environments, and researchers. By building trust, we aim to maximise the use of administrative data for public good research.
What we can offer
Funding sustainable data curation across government and public bodies
Creating and linking administrative datasets within and between government departments and administrations, and public bodies can be enormously beneficial for identifying trends across different parts of people’s lives. However, the process is often complex and time-consuming. ADR UK’s model brings together government and academia to curate and maintain datasets that are reusable, allowing them to address evolving research questions. This work is supported through bespoke grants, with clear aims and conditions to demonstrate ongoing progress and utility.
Providing expert advice on data linkage and research
Through our expanding portfolio of flagship datasets and research, ADR UK has built substantial expertise in this area. We engage with data owners throughout the entire data linkage and sharing process. We also work closely with trusted research environments (where data is securely stored and shared) to ensure the highest standards of integrity. Our partnership has built strong relationships with talented researchers who are supported to conduct meaningful research for the public good. We also share best practices and case studies to demonstrate the power of linked administrative data, encouraging more government departments to make their data securely available for research.
Opening up research access to data
ADR UK requires that the linked and linkable datasets we fund are ultimately made accessible to accredited researchers for public good research. All datasets are listed in our ADR UK Data Catalogue, making it easy to discover and explore available data. For flagship datasets, we support the creation of resources that enhance usability: comprehensive user guides, data dictionaries, Data Explained documents, and where possible, open-access synthetic data, training courses, and other tools designed to facilitate data use. This not only ensures that the data is accurate, but also trains researchers to derive actionable research insights for government and policymakers.
Aligning research with government priorities to inform policy and practice
ADR UK bridges the gap between research and government by aligning our research themes with UK Government departments’ Areas of Research Interest and the evidence needs of the devolved governments. We regularly work with the Government Analysis Function to inform our evidence plans and project scoping, and to engage senior policy officials, special advisors, and ministers. By funding research that uses administrative data - and promoting the publication of findings in forms that are easily digestible - we ensure that policymakers and service providers can access timely, relevant evidence that supports decision making and policy development. Initiatives like our Research Community Catalysts and PhD studentships further strengthen the connections between government and researchers.
Increasing the visibility and use of datasets
ADR UK supports government data owners to boost the use of their datasets through various outreach and engagement efforts, and by providing practical support. We have found offering research funding opportunities to be one of the most effective ways to increase research use of datasets. We also routinely promote ADR UK flagship datasets through activities tailored to attract different types of academic researchers such as awareness raising webinars, and community building events. We offer a diverse and engaging range of learning opportunities. These include introductory webinars for new users, online self-paced courses, and hands-on training with synthetic data to help researchers thoroughly understand a dataset and its applications.
Ensuring trustworthy, secure data use
ADR UK is committed to the secure and ethical use of administrative data. All data provided for research is fully de-identified, and we adhere strictly to the Five Safes framework. The trusted research environments we fund ensure that all data processing and access complies with appropriate legal gateways, such as that provided by the Digital Economy Act, and that researchers are properly accredited.
