ADR England: 2026-2031 investment

The next five-year phase of ADR England will build on the strong foundations established since 2021, strengthening the role of administrative data research in addressing some of the most important challenges facing society in England, across the UK and internationally.

Through a shared ADR England Strategy for 2026–31, we will set out the collective ambitions of ADR England, ADR UK, our data delivery partner the Office for National Statistics and our wider network of core partners. This will provide clearer strategic direction for the programme, strengthen collaboration and help maximise the value of ADR England’s investment.

Priority research themes

A key ambition is to sharpen our strategic focus around priority research themes that reflect major policy challenges, including UK Government agendas, departmental Areas of Research Interest and priorities identified by local government. By bringing evidence, expertise and datasets together around these themes, ADR England will support research that is ambitious, relevant and responsive to policy needs at national and local levels. We will also curate and showcase evidence, highlighting emerging findings, synthesising research and sharing impact stories that demonstrate how administrative data research can inform policy and improve outcomes, while strengthening policy-facing engagement through accessible outputs such as policy briefings, blogs, Data Insights and impact case studies. 

Enhancing flagship data

Thanks to the work of ADR England’s core partners, our flagship datasets will continue to be enhanced, improving researcher access and experience in response to user feedback and insight. This will include developing synthetic data resources for each flagship dataset, strengthening documentation and guidance, and creating clearer pathways for researchers to discover and use these resources. We will also continue to promote uptake of ADR England flagship datasets, including supporting research and analysis beyond directly ADR UK-funded projects.

Delivering the new Training and Capacity Building (TCB) Strategy

Alongside this, we will expand researcher capacity through the ADR UK Training and Capacity Building Strategy 2026–31, including through an enlarged PhD programme and increased provision of skills training to strengthen student and researcher pathways into administrative data research across England. We will support the growth of researcher communities, ADR UK research fellow alumni networks, and peer learning opportunities, helping to build a sustainable pipeline of researchers able to use administrative data to address key challenges.

Expanded the ADR England digital presence and identity

We will amplify ADR England’s digital presence through the new website and expanded ADR England brand, developing multimedia content on policy impact, communities, regional insights, research themes and alignment with government priorities. We will also increase proactive media engagement with regional and sector press, including working with partners to highlight locally relevant research stories and demonstrate the value of administrative data research across and within specific English regions.