The second phase of the DARE UK (Data Analytics and Research Environments UK) programme, ‘Build, Test and Establish‘ represents the next stage of a transformative programme aimed at enhancing the UK’s capacity to conduct safer, more efficient, and collaborative research using sensitive data.
With £18.2 million in funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), this new phase will focus on creating a connected national network of secure data infrastructures. These secure digital environments will allow researchers to access and analyse sensitive datasets across various fields, such as health, education, and public services, in a way that protects privacy while generating valuable insights for public benefit.
How will DARE UK Phase 2 benefit researchers?
For researchers, DARE UK Phase 2 is about safely doing three things: making research using Trusted Research Environments (TREs) faster, making research using TREs easier, and enabling new research questions through TREs.
Researchers will see these benefits over time:
- The ability to answer new research questions through new data linkages and analyses at scale
- New support for cutting-edge research using sensitive data, such as training AI/ML models
- Reduced time to safely access different types of sensitive data across the UK
- Reduced time to safely export the results of their research for publishing
- Improved user experience when moving from one TRE to another
- Reduced costs of doing research using linked sensitive data
To realise these benefits, TREs will need different tools for their customers (i.e. researchers) AND support with using those tools as part of their business-as-usual services for their customers (i.e. researchers) – we call this combination of developing tools and then using them in practice a ‘capability’.
What does DARE UK Phase 2 mean for TRE operators and data service providers?
For TRE operators and data service providers, DARE UK Phase 2 is all about enhancing their infrastructure capabilities – as above, the combination of developing tools and then using them in practice. This phase will focus on building and testing three new capabilities:
- Federated analysis: Conducting analysis across data resources held in physically or organisationally separated TREs.
- AI and semi-automated output checking: Using advanced tools to help check and control what research findings can be safely released from TREs. This involves partly automating systems and making sure AI models trained on sensitive data don’t reveal confidential information.
- TRE reference architecture and implementations: Enabling the automated setup of standardised TREs that meet the SATRE specification as it evolves in Phase 2 and beyond.
These advancements will not only improve the security and efficiency of facilitating research with sensitive data but will also help TRE operators meet growing demand from researchers across the UK.
How will DARE UK promote collaboration in Phase 2?
One of the important components of DARE UK Phase 2 is its focus on community building. DARE UK will continue to bring together diverse stakeholders—from data scientists and researchers to members of the public and policymakers—to create a collaborative environment to drive the DARE UK vision.
Through shared standards and practices, DARE UK will encourage better communication and cooperation among stakeholders. By fostering a culture of collaboration, DARE UK will accelerate discoveries and ensure that knowledge is shared more widely,
benefiting the entire UK data research landscape. We are already doing this, see here.
How will DARE UK Phase 2 impact the public?
For the public, DARE UK Phase 2 holds the potential to bring about more impactful and trustworthy research that directly benefits society. DARE UK will continue to involve the public, ensuring that programme efforts are conducted in a way that aligns with public values and demonstrates trustworthiness.
DARE UK Phase 2 is focused on delivering public benefit. From understanding the root causes of unemployment to improving public health outcomes, the research enabled by DARE UK’s work in Phase 2 (and beyond) will inform policies and initiatives that have the potential to transform lives.
See some of the research opportunities and potential economic benefit DARE UK can enable in Phase 2 and beyond
DARE UK Phase 2 is a significant investment in the future of sensitive data research in the UK, with potential benefits for researchers, data service providers, TRE operators, policymakers and the public. By building a secure and connected national network of secure data research infrastructures for sensitive data research, DARE UK will help drive innovation and deliver meaningful insights to create a better future for all.
