DARE UK welcomes four dynamic community groups funded to deliver diverse projects spanning public engagement, community management, AI risk evaluation, and automated output checking between November 2023 and March 2024.
DARE UK is excited to announce the funding and launch of four pioneering community groups under the DARE UK Community Groups initiative. These community-led co-design and delivery groups will play a vital role in fostering collaborations across the data research landscape, aligning with DARE UK’s vision.
Launched in April 2023, the DARE UK Community Groups initiative introduced three distinct categories: Interest Groups, Working Groups, and Communities of Practice. Interest Groups focus on broad-based challenges within the program’s scope, motivating Working Groups to address specific tasks. Working Groups concentrate on specific, tractable projects and are generally, though not always, tied to an Interest Group. Meanwhile, Communities of Practice are community-driven, self-managed entities that define their purpose and mode of operation. These communities will serve as vital forums for engagement, shaping DARE UK’s future thinking.
In September, DARE UK issued a call for funding, inviting applications from both new and existing community interest groups and working groups. The aim was to provide up to £40,000 in funding from UK Research and Innovation to support activities that align with the DARE UK vision and promote innovation in the sensitive data research ecosystem. A total of eight applications were received, comprising five proposed community interest groups and three community working groups.
After a thorough independent evaluation of these applications, four applicants were awarded funding, marking the beginning of a five-month funding period from November 2023 to March 2024.
The four successful community groups include:
Interest Groups
- Public Engagement in Data Research Initiative (PEDRI): An existing UK-wide partnership bringing together 7+ organisations working with data and statistics to generate insights that inform policy and practice from a public involvement and engagement perspective.
- UK TRE Community – Community Management and Engagement Group: An existing community that originated from the efforts of Research Software Engineers (RSE) to enhance collaboration in designing and delivering Trusted Research Environments (TREs).
- Statistical Disclosure Control – Reducing Barriers to Outputs from TREs (SDC-REBOOT) Interest Group: Formerly Evaluation of Automated Output Checking and AI Model Risk Assessment Group, SDC-REBOOT is a new community interest group that aims to establish a community of experts to support researchers and TREs in safeguarding research outputs, minimising disclosure risks, and advancing the adoption of automated tools and frameworks.
Working Group
- AI Risk Evaluation Group: A new community working group that aims to bring together a multidisciplinary team of experts and members of the public to develop comprehensive guidelines for the ethical use of AI in TREs and clinical settings.
Through this funding opportunity, these DARE UK Community Groups are set to engage in partnerships and collaborations that will contribute to shaping the future of sensitive data research in the UK.
DARE UK Director Hans-Erik G. Aronson expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “DARE UK is committed to advancing sensitive data research in the UK, and this funding opportunity demonstrates our dedication to the cause. These community groups align excellently with our vision to drive innovation in the UK data research ecosystem and enhance cross-domain research to improve lives. By the end of their funding period and beyond, we anticipate remarkable contributions that will set new standards for a more connected data future.”
For more information on DARE UK Community Groups and the initiatives they are embarking on, please visit the DARE UK Community Groups page. For other enquiries, please send an email to communities@dareuk.org.uk.
Updated on 1 March 2024
