DARE UK (Data and Analytics Research Environments UK) has awarded more than £1.18 million in new funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to support community groups working to strengthen collaboration, capability and public trust in UK sensitive data research.
The investment totaling £895,676 in new awards and £289,698 in supplementary awards marks the third round of DARE UK Community Groups funding since the initiative launched in April 2023. It builds on previous funding rounds that have enabled diverse groups to deliver outputs shaping a more joined-up, trustworthy, and efficient UK data research infrastructure.
These new awards follow an open call launched in June 2025 to support new and existing interest groups and working groups. Applications received were reviewed by an independent panel, including members of the public, ensuring that proposals met both the needs of the data research community and public expectations.
Newly funded community groups
The newly funded groups will deliver practical solutions to pressing challenges in sensitive data research, from advancing synthetic data adoption and improving data linkage transparency, to supporting researcher training and strengthening collaboration across federated data environments.
In total, nine community groups (five interest groups and four working groups) have been awarded. Working groups have been funded for one year, from October 2025 to October 2026, while interest groups have been funded for 15 months, from October 2025 March 2027.
Interest groups funded
- Improving Transparency Around Linkage Outputs (ITALO)
- An existing (previously endorsed) interest group awarded £111,628 to deliver activities improving the quality and consistency of data linkage reporting. Working across data domains, the group will identify barriers to implementing standards, develop training resources, and share best practices to build a stronger, more transparent approach to data linkage quality.
- UK Data Linkage Community
- A new interest group awarded £112,497 to connect data linkage professionals across academia, government, healthcare and industry. The funding will support the community in engaging with linkage practitioners and users of linked data, creating an open, collaborative platform to share methodologies, resources, and best practices, promoting knowledge exchange and public engagement across the data linkage community.
- Federated Research Community Group
- A new interest group awarded £100,179 to convene stakeholders from across sectors to promote the safe use of sensitive, cross-sector data. The group’s activities will help shape the design of federated research systems that are scalable, flexible and responsive to the needs of both researchers and the public.
- Synthetic Data Adoption Group
- A new interest group awarded £110,773 to drive real-world application of synthetic data in research by convening researchers, regulators, data owners and the public to co-develop interoperable solutions and governance frameworks for trustworthy synthetic data use.
- UK TRE Community – Community Management and Engagement
- An existing interest group awarded £109,584 to continue to conduct formal mapping of the UK TRE community and a qualitative needs analysis to develop and deliver a community engagement strategy which compliments and supports the growing TRE landscape. Its renewed funding will support continued community management, shared learning and joint action to improve collaboration across the TRE landscape.
Working groups funded
- SAFETEXT: Community-led protocols for the safe and responsible use of de-identified and synthetic healthcare text for AI development
- A new working group awarded £98,537 to bring together researchers, data owners and the public to develop national protocols for the responsible use of healthcare free-text data in AI development. The group will create practical templates and guidelines to promote trust, transparency and reproducibility in this rapidly evolving area of data science.
- Sensitive Evidence Tracking (SET)
- A new working group awarded £69,833 to explore how evidence from administrative data research is translated into real-world impact. Focusing initially on ADHD among young people in Northern Ireland, the group will track how different sectors use research findings to inform services and policy. Outputs will include two summary reports and an audio roadmap to support wider learning and engagement.
- Single Patient Record Integrity, Trust & Transparency (SPRINT)
- A new working group awarded £99,946 to tackle one of the most critical challenges in health data: ensuring the accuracy and transparency of linkage methods and records. The group will co-develop linkage quality metrics and communication tools, ensuring safe, consistent and publicly trusted integration of healthcare data across the UK.
- PEDRI Learning and Development (L&D) Working Group
- A new working group awarded £82,699 to strengthen capacity and skills across the data research community by developing new learning modules to help researchers and professionals engage the public more effectively. The group will also enhance PEDRI’s digital hub with a searchable directory of public involvement and engagement networks, insights into public attitudes toward data use, and improved access to best practice resources.
Existing community groups awarded additional funding
In addition to the fresh funding awarded to nine new and existing community groups, supplementary funding totalling £289,698 has been awarded to five existing community groups (three interest groups and two working groups) currently in receipt of funding from the previous community groups funding round.
These groups have demonstrated strong progress and an opportunity to build further on their current scope to deliver more robust outcomes and enhance the impact of their ongoing work.
The community groups receiving supplementary funding are:
- SDC-REBOOT (Statistical Disclosure Control – Reducing Barriers to Outputs from TREs) (Interest group) – £96,771
- UK TRE Community (Information Governance) (Interest group) – £71,008
- SATRE (Standard Architecture for Trusted Research Environments) (Interest group) – £78,883
- UK Synthetic Data Community Group (Working group) – £19,996
- PEDRI PIE Standards Evaluation and Adoption (Working group) – £23,040
Together, these groups will deliver activities and outputs to address key community focus areas aligned with the DARE UK vision. Their work will strengthen the UK’s collective ability to securely conduct complex and impactful data research, ensuring the public’s voice remains central to decisions about how data is accessed and used.
Reflecting on the funding awards, DARE UK Interim Director, Prof Emily Jefferson, said:
“This new round of funding reflects the growing maturity and ambition of the UK’s sensitive data research community. Each of these groups brings together leading expertise, innovation and lived experience to address real challenges in how we use sensitive data safely, fairly and effectively.
“As their work progresses, we expect to see new collaborations, tools and standards that will help shape a UK data research system people can trust — one that enables innovation while protecting privacy and earning public confidence.”
For more information about DARE UK community groups and their activities/outputs, visit the DARE UK Community Groups hub or contact us at communities@dareuk.org.uk.
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