RDS welcomes ADR Scotland funding announcement

Administrative Data Research (ADR) UK announced the funding and all four national partnerships this week, following earlier confirmation of £168million funding for the ADR UK programme from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). 

For ADR Scotland, this funding will continue to transform data linkage and research, driving progress towards Scotland’s National Outcomes and answering key questions about health, education, justice and social equality. 

“The potential of the data we have here in Scotland cannot be overstated. It is our collective duty to make sure this can be used to benefit the prospects and wellbeing of its citizens. This further investment into the ADR Scotland programme will help us to achieve the system transformation for data-driven research that we are all working to make a reality.” – Kate O’Sullivan, Chief Data Officer at Research Data Scotland 

ADR Scotland is a partnership combining the expertise of specialists in the Scottish Government and academic researchers at the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (SCADR).

RDS started work on the ADR Scotland programme as a delivery partner in 2023, and will continue to provide support in this new investment period. Working alongside fellow delivery partners Public Health Scotland, National Records of Scotland and EPCC, we will contribute to national efforts to streamline data provisioning in Scotland, helping to enhance infrastructure, data engineering and safe researcher access to public sector data. 

Research from ADR Scotland to date has provided insights into educational exclusion and absences; in partnership with Police Scotland it explored policing mental health distress and an ongoing project is focused on the social and health outcomes of veterans. You can find out more about ADR Scotland research on SCADR’s website.