DARE UK (Data and Analytics Research Environments UK) has today announced the publication of final reports and outputs from six DARE UK Early Adopters, marking an important step towards enhancing how sensitive data is accessed and used for research.
The early adopter projects kicked off in February 2025 and ran for 13 months, enabling more than 10 UK Trusted Research Environments (TREs), also known as Secure Data Environments (SDEs), to become early testbeds for new TRE capabilities.
These new capabilities are being piloted through TREvolution, a DARE UK (Phase 2) initiative that is advancing sensitive data research in the UK by adopting shared standards and building trustworthy innovations to deliver better and faster research for the public good.
Testing new approaches
Six DARE UK Early Adopters tested new tools and standards enabled through TREvolution in real-world UK TREs, exploring key areas such as AI development, federated data access, secure analytics, output checking and cross-TRE working.
This work involved looking into the safe use of sensitive data to train AI models, accelerate research output checking and ensure results are reviewed to preserve privacy and trust. It also examined secure ways to analyse data across multiple locations, enabling more efficient, large-scale research without moving the data.
The projects were led by leading UK institutions, including The Alan Turing Institute, University of Liverpool, Office for National Statistics, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University of Sheffield and Swansea University.
A seventh early adopter project, SOCRATES, led by the UK Data Service and launched in September 2025, is ongoing and exploring approaches to scaling output checking, release and accreditation within TREs, with outputs to follow.
Key insights
The final reports from the six DARE UK Early Adopters highlight opportunities and practical challenges involved in enabling trustworthy and efficient access to sensitive data for research within and across multiple TREs at a national scale. Collectively, the projects arrived at the following key findings:
- Federated sensitive data research is achievable across multiple organisations and systems. Support is needed for the next stage to help TREs adopt and operationalise these new methods.
- Barriers to scaling remain, particularly relating to governance, policy and coordination rather than technology alone.
- People, processes and trust are critical, and success depends on how well they work alongside technology.
- The public has expressed support for technological and governance advancements towards a connected network of UK TREs. However, there is a need for clearer agreed definitions and messaging to describe federation and related concepts.
- TREvolution has laid strong foundations to support the adoption of shared standards, strengthen trust and enable federation towards enhancing sensitive data research in the UK.
These insights show that while technical capability is advancing, further focus is needed on providing further funding and support for UK TREs and data service providers to more widely adopt and embed federation tools and standards into operational practice.
DARE UK is exploring future funding opportunities to help move TRE innovations from early adoption and testing into operational use within TREs.
Explore the final project reports and outputs
A foundation for future innovation
Feedback from the DARE UK Early Adopters has refined and enhanced TREvolution capabilities and will continue to inform the next phase of work through the newly-funded DARE UK Research Exemplars announced in March 2026.
The eight research exemplar projects are applying the capabilities in real-world research scenarios and generating further evidence of feasibility and impact. Watch the DARE UK Research Exemplars public webinar recording and download the slides to learn more about the projects and what they aim to achieve.
Bringing the community together
The outputs from the DARE UK Early Adopters were first shared at the TREvolution and DARE UK Early Adopters showcase event in London on 22 April 2026, where project teams, researchers and members of the public came together to discuss project outcomes and next steps.
Reflecting on the findings from the early adopter projects at the showcase event, DARE UK Director, Professor Emily Jefferson, said:
“The DARE UK Early Adopters have shown what is possible when collaboration, trust and innovation come together. Their findings provide a strong foundation for the next phase, highlighting what is now needed to embed these new capabilities within operational practice as we continue to refine them, support wider adoption and enable trustworthy, efficient and impactful use of sensitive data for the public good.”
Upcoming webinar
DARE UK will host a public webinar on Thursday, 30 July 2026 (11:30 – 13:00) where the early adopter teams will present their work and answer questions.
What’s next?
In the coming weeks, DARE UK will publish a blog series spotlighting each Early Adopter project in more detail. This will be followed by a summary write-up capturing key lessons and recommendations for the future. Watch this space!
As the UK data research ecosystem evolves, insights from the DARE UK Early Adopters and the wider community will help shape a more efficient approach to sensitive data research, helping to address complex societal challenges, while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and governance.
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