Scientific use cases for cross-domain sensitive data research in the UK

On 8 February 2024 DARE UK, supported by The PSC brought together 48 UK-based researchers and seven public participants to surface use cases for linking sensitive data. Across a full-day workshop, we examined how linked sensitive data in the UK could be brought together to enable research that benefits the public. Workshop participants met to work through a series of interactive discussions and activities to explore the possibilities created by linking different types of sensitive data together at 
scale.

Although the focus of the workshop was on sensitive data linkages, participants were also invited to think about different types of non-sensitive data that could supplement sensitive data linkages for further insights. The outputs have been synthesised, analysed, and quantified to provide a detailed breakdown of the high priority research opportunities to inform the next phase of the DARE UK programme.

The use cases surfaced highlight the breadth of the opportunity that a connected sensitive data infrastructure could deliver for research for public benefit in the UK. We learned about the practical applications of cross-domain research to help understand and solve some of the UK’s most pressing societal challenges, demonstrating the potential for bringing together interdisciplinary expertise with cross-cutting data to make a real difference.

This short exercise has served as an exciting proof of concept for the sorts of real-world use cases that bringing together different types of data can enable, and will inform and help define the specifications future funding opportunities in the next phase of the DARE UK programme.

This is a redesigned version of the report uploaded on 1 November 2024. The initial version of this report was published on the DARE UK website on 12 July 2024.