New dataset boosts opportunities for social care research
A new social care dataset available for research within Scotland’s National Safe Haven could help answer vital questions on care received at home.
28 Jan 2026
News and insights
RDS awarded Independent Research Organisation status
Layla Robinson, our Chief Operating Officer at RDS, welcomes the decision from UK Research Innovation (UKRI) to award Research Data Scotland with Independent Research Organisation status.
Layla Robinson
15 Jan 2026
Making data work harder for Scotland
Research Data Scotland announces its cross-party statement for the 2026 Holyrood election.
10 Dec 2025
Linkable PISA dataset available for research
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study where 15 year olds get to show how they can use their skills in science, reading and maths to tackle real-life challenges. Approximately 700,000 learners take part worldwide, making PISA one of the world’s largest research studies.
02 Dec 2025
Scottish Safe Haven Network's Federated Governance Pilot: Overview and Next Steps
This webinar will cover the Federated Governance Pilot run by the Scottish Safe Haven Network, a collaboration of the organisations behind Scotland’s secure data infrastructure.
27 Nov 2025
Making the case for standardisation – Researcher Access Service
October saw a significant release of the Researcher Access Service (RAS) which included a raft of improvements designed to support researchers.
Adam Coulson
25 Nov 2025
ONS Research Capability Conference 2025
Join Research Data Scotland (RDS) at this year’s Research Capability Conference, hosted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
24 Nov 2025
New ADR Scotland dataset available for research exploring energy use
Annual energy consumption data for properties in Scotland is now available for research as a linkable dataset within Scotland’s National Safe Haven.
17 Nov 2025
Research Data Scotland announces new Chief Data Officer
Kate O’Sullivan will join Research Data Scotland (RDS) as Chief Data Officer in January 2026, contributing experience in secure data access, federation of systems and information governance, to support the future of data research in Scotland.
12 Nov 2025
Scotland’s Health Research and Innovation Conference: a student perspective
Master’s students Elise Darragh and Haley Dees share their experience and takeaways from Scotland’s Health Research and Innovation Conference.
Haley Dees and Elise Darragh
11 Nov 2025
IHDP and Research Data Scotland partner to unlock the power of health data
The new partnership strengthens collaboration to improve data access, drive healthcare innovation and embed ethical, inclusive design across Scotland’s health system.
10 Nov 2025