Opportunities
October 18, 2022

Funding opportunity coming soon: Driver Projects to establish foundations for a coordinated and trustworthy national data research infrastructure

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will soon be opening applications for a series of Driver Projects as part of the DARE UK programme.
Please note: this opportunity is now live (closes 09:00, Wednesday 14 December 2022)

Building on the work of Phase 1 of the programme so far, the aim of the projects, which will run for nine months from January to October 2023, will be to establish key design foundations for a coordinated and trustworthy national data research infrastructure. This is to support cross-domain research and analysis using sensitive data at scale for public good.

The Driver Projects will have a leading role in informing the design of specific components of what will be a UK-wide, interoperable network of trusted research environments (TREs). Further detail about the specific areas of focus for this call will be released at the launch webinar (see below) and in the full funding opportunity specification when the call goes live. The projects will play a pivotal role in contributing to the design of DARE UK’s vision as it moves into future phases, particularly through integration with relevant DARE UK or partner working groups.

DARE UK is committed to meaningful public involvement and engagement, and proposals will be required to include plans for embedding public involvement and engagement throughout the lifecycle of the project.

The projects will also be integrated and required to take input from DARE UK (and partner) stakeholder working groups aligned with specific areas of focus. These working groups will help inform the direction of DARE UK’s design decisions towards a vision for an interoperable network of TREs for research on sensitive data at scale for public good.

Funding and eligibility

This funding opportunity is anticipated to support several Driver Projects. All projects will be expected to demonstrate the potential to make a significant contribution to informing future phases of the DARE UK programme. The funding amounts available for this call will be communicated at the launch webinar (see below) and in the full specification when the call goes live.

Proposals must be led by a UKRI-recognised research organisation, which should be UK-based, and we encourage collaboration and partnerships across sectors including academia, industry and other partners. You can also include international co-investigators if they provide expertise that is not available in the UK.

Launch webinar

A launch webinar for the funding call was held on Thursday 27 October 2022. It  was an opportunity to find out more about the specific areas of focus for this call, as well as funding amounts and expectations. If you missed the webinar, you can view the slides or watch the recording below. A recording of the event will be made available soon.

This funding opportunity will open on Friday 28 October 2022, alongside publication of the full call specification and application information. Sign up to the DARE UK mailing list to be the first to hear when the funding call goes live.

Catch up on the launch webinar: