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RAS Approval Pathway

Find more detail on the scope of the Researcher Access Service (RAS) Approval Pathway.

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Researcher Access Service (RAS) Approval Pathway

After you submit your enquiry, a member of the eDRIS team will assess your project against the criteria below to determine if it suits the RAS Approval Pathway. Applications that fall outside the scope of this pathway will progress through the PBPP Approval Pathway.

Details of all projects approved through the RAS Approval Pathway are published on our Data Use Register

Currently, the scope of the RAS Approval Pathway covers projects that derive their study population and linked data from nine of Public Health Scotland’s most frequently used datasets. In addition to this requirement, applications will be evaluated against the following criteria:  

 

Your project will progress through this pathway if:

Your project lead and research team are affiliated with an approved organisation 

Your project lead and research team have valid Information Governance training from the Office for National Statistics or the Medical Research Council

The purpose of your project is clear 

The public benefit of your project is clear 

Your research questions can be addressed using the 9 datasets available through this pathway 

Your study population and linked data can be derived from the 9 datasets available through this pathway 

Your project expects to access data through the Scottish National Safe Haven 

The results and findings of your project will be published in the public domain 

Consent is provided for your project to be included on a public data use register 

Your research methodology falls within the scope of the RAS Approval Pathway  

 

Your project will not progress through this pathway if:

Your project lead and research team are affiliated with or sponsored by a commercial organisation 

The purpose of your project is unclear 

The public benefit of your project is unclear 

Your research questions cannot be addressed using the 9 datasets available through this pathway  

Linkage is required to datasets outwith the 9 available through this pathway 

The project expects to access data outwith the Scottish National Safe Haven 

Disclosive research outputs are required 

Consent has not been provided for the project to be included on a public data use register 

Your research methodology includes artificial intelligence (AI), intergenerational linkage (e.g. mother-baby linkage) or the use of synthetic data  

Additional requirements

Before submitting your application, you will need to have the following in place:

  • Funding to cover the costs of the data provision
  • Ethical approval from your own institution
  • Peer review of your project
  • A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) 

Please note: You do not need to have the above in place before submitting an enquiry. 

Preparing your application

Think your project is suitable for the Researcher Access Service? Read our guidance on how to prepare your application.

Find application guidance
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Approvals and amendments

Applications following the RAS Approval Pathway will be evaluated by the RAS Approval Panel instead of a Public Benefit and Privacy Panel (PBPP). This aims to cut down on the time it takes for researchers to access their data. Please note, however, that if a project changes significantly in scope after it has been approved by the RAS Approval Panel, you might be asked to submit a new application through the PBPP Approval Pathway. 

The RAS Approval panel is made up of representatives from Research Data Scotland and Public Health Scotland. They are responsible for confirming that an application has met all criteria for RAS Pathway eligibility and that the proposed research is in the public good.

What are your data needs?

Answer a few short questions to determine whether we can help you with your project.

Begin an enquiry
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