Our mission
To solve problems and improve lives, good government policy requires good evidence. We know that this evidence can be generated using the wealth of administrative data already being created by government and public bodies across the UK.
ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK)’s mission is to transform the way researchers access the UK’s wealth of public sector data. By linking this data and providing secure access for accredited researchers, ADR UK is providing a sustainable way to support new insights into how our society and economy work.
This approach is tailored to give decision makers the answers they need to solve important policy questions, driving change that has the potential to improve lives across the UK.
Responsible and ethical data use
The data we enable access to is used ethically and responsibly for research projects that can make a positive difference to society. Access to and use of data is strictly controlled and monitored, with projects assessed for:
- ethics
- privacy
- feasibility
- public benefit
- scientific merit.
How we work
The ADR UK governance structure is designed to be robust, flexible, and responsive. This helps ensure we are on track to meet our objectives and to guide good practice across the partnership.
Performance management, scrutiny and assurance
ADR UK has clear and specific targets, as well as a Performance Management Framework (PMF) that allow us to accurately and fairly assess progress across the partnership. This provides assurance about the outcomes of the investment as a whole.
Alongside the PMF, programme assurance includes monitoring and evaluation indicators and other obligations outlined in grant agreements, and shared management documents.
Funding
The ADR UK programme began as a pilot investment in summer 2018. In 2021 the programme secured long-term funding from the Economic Social Research Council (ESRC) approved by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) (now the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, DSIT) and HM Treasury to continue until March 2026.
After securing funding to continue the ADR UK programme to March 2026, the ESRC carried out a recommissioning exercise for its core delivery partners: ADR NI, ADR Scotland, ADR Wales and the Office for National Statistics. This process required partners to submit funding applications that detailed what they had delivered in the 2018-2021 period, as well as outlining their plans for the 2022-2026 period. In 2023, ADR UK supported the partners to allocate a further £1.2 million to take forward agreed priority work.
Both of these processes included an interview with a panel made up of ESRC representatives and members of the research community with expertise of working with administrative data. The panel was able to scrutinise funding applications and ask delivery partners to provide justification for their requested resources. These interviews informed the final funding applications and decisions.
In late 2024 and early 2025, the ADR UK team within ESRC will start the process of submitting a full business case to UKRI and DSIT for a further five years’ investment in ADR UK, building on the programme’s successes and outlining new strategic priorities.
Ahead of this process, ADR UK has commissioned an external economic evaluation. This will offer an independent view of the extent to which the current investment is delivering as intended and progressing in achieving its strategic outcomes, as well as its economic benefits and social impacts. This evaluation will provide the building blocks for the economic case and demonstrate that continued investment in ADR UK is good value for money and has a favourable return.