DARE UK has submitted a technical paper in response to the UK National Data Library: Technical White Paper Challenge led by Wellcome and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) seeking technical visions and architectures for a UK National Data Library.
The paper highlights DARE UK’s vision for establishing a federated National Data Library (NDL) infrastructure designed to enable researchers to securely access and analyse sensitive public data for the public good.
DARE UK’s submission builds on the DARE UK Federated Architecture Blueprint, an evolving document that began with its initial draft (version 1.0) in April 2023 and has matured into version 2.2. The blueprint describes the required features of a federated national data infrastructure, and explains how we can build on existing work to achieve it. Alignment with DARE UK’s 2025-2027 Transformational Programme is significant, offering a real opportunity for major, rapid progress.
A vision for safe and collaborative data use
The DARE UK vision aligns closely with the concept of a National Data Library, addressing critical challenges in data linkage and access. At its core, DARE UK envisions a safe, collaborative network of secure data infrastructures where approved researchers can explore sensitive data to advance research for public benefit.
DARE UK’s proposal features three essential capabilities:
- Trustworthy services: A network of secure services with a shared security posture, enabling data providers to confidently answer, “Is the IT safe enough for me to share data with it?”
- Collaborative community: A unified technological framework that fosters collaboration among operators, simplifies data sharing, and increases expertise, addressing the question, “Who can help me do this more easily?”
- Transparency of operation: Standardised ways to surface services, data assets, users, and projects, ensuring observability and answering, “How can I tell whether my data is being used for the purposes I’ve approved and by whom?”
This approach leverages the existing network of “safe data libraries” and secure “reading rooms” within the UK, avoiding the cost and risk of building entirely new systems. Instead, it focuses on enhancing and integrating current infrastructures to meet the rigorous security and functionality demands of a National Data Library.
Read the technical paper: A Federated Architecture for a National Data Library
A collaborative effort for public benefit
DARE UK’s entry reflects the collective effort of the programme and its partners, collaborators, and contributors in shaping a federated National Data Library. By building on existing work and sharing a clear technical vision, DARE UK illustrates how such a library can advance research, benefit the UK population, and uphold the principles of data security and public trust.
Reflecting on the challenge and DARE UK’s entry, Professor Emily Jefferson, DARE UK Interim Director, said: “DARE UK’s vision for a federated National Data Library demonstrates how trusted, secure, and collaborative data environments can transform access to sensitive public data, driving research for public good. Our submission highlights how DARE UK’s Federated Architecture Blueprint offers a practical, scalable solution to shape government data policy and support its implementation with transparency and trust at its core.”
Wellcome and ESRC will publish selected white papers in January 2025 and host a dedicated workshop, bringing together government officials, NHS leaders, researchers, and authors to discuss the future of a National Data Library.
