Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Funding type:
Grant
Total fund:
£2,000,000
Maximum award:
£2,000,000
Publication date:
30 March 2026
Opening date:
30 March 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
21 May 2026 4:00pm UK time
Apply for funding to become an Academic Lead for Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) core partners delivering better economic data.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding.
Funding up to March 2031 is available for one academic team to work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to support two new linked economics datasets, as well as related public engagement activities. The role is expected to begin in Autumn 2026.
The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2,000,000,00. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.
Who can apply
This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. .
Who is not eligible to apply
The following are not eligible to apply:
* project co-leads (international) (PcL (I))
Please note, ADR UK flagship data can only be accessed from within the UK.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.
We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:
* career breaks
* support for people with caring responsibilities
* flexible working
* alternative working patterns
UKRI can offer for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.
Remit
Complete and submit the, if you are unsure whether your proposed research falls within the remit of ESRC
What we're looking for
Demand management
Demand management is not being applied to this funding opportunity.
Context
has been awarded £168m to deliver the next phase of work, which will run from April 2026 to March 2031. In preparation, a suite of new government and academic partners are being commissioned to support the delivery of the ADR UK programme of work, including the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
are made available to Digital Economy Act (DEA)-accredited researchers via the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service (SRS) and other ADR UK Trusted Research Environments (TREs), underpinned by the .
This funding opportunity is designed to commission academic partners to support DWP and HMRC to deliver on their agreed programmes of work, in line with the ‘ADR UK Flagship Dataset Framework’ (see Annex 1) and the ‘ADR UK strategic objectives’ which include (but are not limited to): driving research for public good, increasing available data for research, and public trust.
Driving research for public good
From a, continue to grow the contribution of administrative data to academic and public bodies of knowledge around major societal challenges.
Increasing available data for research
Maintain and enhance existing flagship linked datasets (where there is evidenced research need) to maximise their research utility within the. Further increase the availability of high-quality linked administrative data for research through the creation of new flagship datasets. Each new flagship dataset will be aligned to Government research priorities, including supporting research into economic growth and productivity across the UK.
Improving research access and support
Facilitate measurably better access to administrative data across the UK and smooth the researcher journey by speeding up the data access process and improving support services, including training and user support on using flagship datasets, for researchers seeking to access administrative data.
Public trust
Continue to invest in research infrastructures that safeguard privacy and maintain the social contract with the public to use administrative data for research in the public good. Increase the number of projects conducting meaningful public engagement and communicate these activities to ensure transparency alongside maintaining publicly accessible records of all our projects
Aim
Funding up to March 2031 is available for an academic team to work with DWP and HMRC to support the following three work packages. Applications must cover all three work packages to be considered eligible for this funding opportunity.
RAPID support
Scale up research use of the new population interactions with employment, benefits and pensions (RAPID) linked dataset by providing training and user support for researchers, advising data owners on potential future improvements that maximise the data’s research value within the five safes framework, and building a sustained community of practice.
LEED support
Advise DWP, HMRC and ONS on plans for the construction and scalable research use of a new Linked Employee-Employer Dataset (LEED) for the UK and providing academic leadership via training and user support for researchers when data are accessible
Public engagement
Support DWP, HMRC and ADR UK with the development and running of a public representative panel to inform the research use and future development of both RAPID and LEED
Scope
Work package 1 (RAPID)
In the current investment phase, ADR UK have worked with DWP and HMRC to facilitate secure research access to the UK-wide population interactions with employment (including self-employment),. This dataset is not linked to business tax returns but does allow researchers to understand the journeys and interactions between employment, self-employment, and benefit accrual and receipt.
To ensure researchers are provided with the appropriate support and advice to understand how to use this new flagship dataset, we are commissioning an academic team to provide training and user support to researchers, in line with similar and already in place for other flagship datasets. Applicants should explain how they will provide academic leadership to:
* strengthen research community capability to use flagship datasets for public good research
* represent researchers in the continuous improvement of RAPID and the wider researcher journey
* build and sustain an active, engaged community of researchers using RAPID
* expand policy relevant and impactful use of RAPID
There is a potential opportunity for inward secondment to DWP for the successful academic team, to become expert users of RAPID to support researchers and enable effective discussions with DWP around possible future developments.
See Annex 2 for a full description of the expected role of ADR UK Academic Leads.
Work package 2 (LEED support)
In the next investment phase, ADR UK and data owners (DWP, HMRC and ONS) are committed to creating a new flagship dataset from administrative data sources, to support more economic research to better understand the economy.
A specific data gap for the UK is understood to be population-level linked administrative data on employers and their employees. This would go beyond the related linkages that ADR UK have funded and delivered to date, focussed on filling a range of data gaps in the. Although rich in detail, these linked datasets only represent a small sample of employers and employees.
The ambition in the next investment phase is to construct new linkages from whole population datasets, including information from self-assessment data capturing self-employed individuals and business tax account information. This would allow much more granular analysis of specific enterprise sectors and groups of employees within the economy.
ADR UK are aware that the main trade-off in using administrative datasets as the starting point for data linkage is that whilst there will be a huge increase in coverage, there will be less depth. This is because such datasets are limited to just what is collected from administrative systems. As such, it is expected that applicants are mindful that the design of any new flagship dataset should be complimentary to existing survey and flagship datasets, opening up new areas for research on the UK economy.
ADR UK are aware of a number of potential starting points for such a dataset; for example:
* As part of their work to support ONS in considering how to improve economic statistics, the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) have proposed a new. This spine contains employment and earnings data from the HMRC Pay-As-You-Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI) system. The current employee dataset only includes HMRC data, so cannot be used to understand benefits payments or track people in and out of unemployment. The current employer dataset links the PAYE RTI to the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) via the ONS Longitudinal Business Database, bringing in information on business characteristics and dynamics. Both sides of this spine could be augmented with data linked in from wider administrative sources and surveys, including firm-level data containing business unit identifiers. ONS would be happy to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of their proposed workplan with potential applicants, along with what would need to be in place for this to become an ADR UK flagship dataset. Contact ONS at:
* DWP have been using similar linked data for internal analysis and would be happy to discuss their experience and learning with potential applicants, along with what would need to be in place for this to become an ADR UK flagship dataset. Contact DWP CASS Data Exploitation at
* Researchers working in the HMRC Datalab have published papers based on the analysis of HMRC datasets linking businesses to workers, which allows a focus on high taxpayers and the super-rich. It is important to note, the Business Worker Relationship (BWR) linkage developed so far has not yet been subject to independent peer review or formal quality assurances (for example, matching rates are not currently known)
As stated above, it is a condition of our funding that data linkages are made accessible to the research community via one or more ADR UK-funded DEA-accredited TREs. This condition is in place so we can work with TREs and data owners to ensure research services are scalable and supported. The HMRC Datalab operates under separate legislation. Access through this route is only permitted for research proposals for the purpose of a function under the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (CRCA 2005) and they must be formally contracted by HMRC to undertake that work.
While the HMRC Datalab can provide more granular administrative data than available in a DEA-accredited TRE,. Although the confidentiality rules in the HMRC Datalab and DEA‑accredited TREs differ, both environments provide access only to anonymised or de‑identified data, neither permits access to identifiable information on individuals or corporate entities. As linking increases the number of variables accessible to researchers, disclosure control and security considerations become increasingly important for HMRC, and these will shape what data can be safely made available through TREs.
HMRC would be happy to discuss what elements of HMRC data may be feasible to provide through a DEA‑accredited TRE, as well as the practicality (or otherwise) of recreating within the ONS Secure Research Service (SRS) any linked dataset that is currently accessible only in the HMRC Datalab. Contact HMRC at
Expectations for award holder(s)
By the end of year 1 of the next investment period (March 2027) provide a report to ADR UK, DWP, HMRC and ONS on the: advantages, disadvantages, cost implications, and any legal issues including disclosure concerns of each of these starting points. The report should also set out a consensus view on the way forward to creating a new flagship dataset for wider research use. The requirement that new flagship datasets should be complimentary to existing survey and flagship datasets should also be considered.
Work with data owners and ONS SRS teams on the design and delivery (including scheduling) of the agreed flagship dataset. This should be done with the ambition that at least some linked LEED data would be available for research use early in year 2 of the next investment period (April 2027 to March 2028). Furthermore, additional linked or linkable LEED data should be in place for the UK early in year 4 of the next investment period (April 2029 to March 2031). All parties are open to taking an iterative approach over time. For example, providing researchers with access to additional linkable datasets to fill known data gaps, as Statistics Finland do via their linkable FOLK modules.
During the development of and iterative improvements to the LEED flagship dataset(s), advise on research utility (including in relation to the de-identification of data, as required by the Digital Economy Act), and methodological points such as data and linkage quality.
Develop a with comprehensive user guide and data dictionary in collaboration with data owners and in accordance .
Once constructed, applicants should explain how they will provide academic leadership to:
* increase knowledge and understanding of how researchers can use the LEED data for public good research
* grow an active and engaged community of researchers using LEED
* demonstrate the value of using LEED to address policy-relevant research questions across all four UK countries
* advise on future enhancements and improvements to LEED
Applicants should provide evidence of their understanding and expertise to carry out this work and provide a detailed workplan for the full term of the grant.
Work package 3 (Public engagement)
Additionally, the award holder(s) will be asked to support ADR UK and data owners on the set-up and running of a new public representative panel for RAPID and LEED development. The panel is to be made up of experts from outside academia and government who are able to represent the needs of demographics relevant to RAPID and LEED (for example, disability rights groups, trade unions, and so on).
This public representative panel will act as an advisory group, providing insights and perspectives at key stages of development. Engagement with the panel will begin as early as possible and will establish a meaningful feedback loop, ensuring that input informs Work Packages 1 and 2 where appropriate.
Areas in which the panel can add value include:
* sense-checking the use of appropriate language in communications and published materials
* providing insight into the perspectives of specific demographic groups, including relevant concerns and challenges, to help shape research questions that address real-world needs
* co-developing outputs, such as practice-informed recommendations and short reports for practitioners
* supporting policymaking through engagement with non-profit organisations that generate evidence for policymakers
The award holder(s) will be expected to have a clear plan for recruitment and ongoing two-way engagement with the panel. Support (recruitment and facilitation of panel meetings) and renumeration for panel members for their time and contribution to online panel meetings (if applicable) will be provided through the .
The panel will operate in a similar capacity to the established for the MoJ Data First programme, helping to ensure that a broad range of perspectives informs the management and development of these national research data assets. ADR UK would be pleased to discuss this approach further with prospective applicants.
Duration
Projects must start by 05 October 2026. The award will conclude on 31 March 2031.
Funding available
The FEC of your project can be up to £2,000,000.00.
ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.
What we will not fund
This funding opportunity is not intended to fund:
* new data linkages, beyond those specified in the funding opportunity and which data owners are committed to supporting the delivery of
ESRC data infrastructure
ESRC supports a range of data infrastructure. Where relevant, we encourage applicants to consider whether the use of these resources could add value to the project. See which are available across the UK.
Where relevant, details of datasets and infrastructure to be used in your project should be given in the Facilities section.
Please note, it is a minimum requirement of ADR UK funding for this opportunity that datasets are deposited and accessed via the ONS SRS. Datasets may also be deposited in other ADR UK TREs, with data owner permission, where there is value in doing this.
Impact, innovation and interdisciplinarity
We expect applicants to consider the potential. Outputs, dissemination and impact are a key part of the criteria for most expert review and assessment processes. We also encourage (research combining approaches from more than one discipline).
Knowledge exchange and collaboration
We are committed to knowledge exchange and encouraging collaboration between researchers and the private, public and civil society sectors.
Collaborative working benefits both the researchers and the individuals or organisations involved. Through collaboration, partners learn about each other’s expertise, share knowledge and gain an appreciation of different professional cultures.
Collaborative activity can therefore lead to a better understanding of the ways that academic research can add value and offer insights to key issues of concern for policy and practice.
Knowledge exchange should not be treated as an ‘add-on’ at the end of a project but considered before the start and built into a project.
Research ethics
ESRC requires that the research we support is designed and conducted in such a way that it meets ethical principles and is subject to proper professional and institutional oversight in terms of research governance. We have agreed a Framework for Research Ethics that all submitted proposals must comply with. Read further details about the and guidance on compliance.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.
As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.
See, including where applicants can find additional support.
How to apply
We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members to contribute to the application.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
1. Confirm you are the project lead.
2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email
Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
* provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
* insert each new image on a new line
* use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:
* sentences or paragraphs of text
* tables
* excessive quantities of images
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
* * *
References
References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:
* references are easily identifiable by the assessors
* references are formatted as appropriate to your research
* persistent identifiers are used where possible
General use of hyperlinks
Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.
For more information see our policy on the .
Deadline
ESRC must receive your application by 21 May 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your application to this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Personal data
Processing personal data
ESRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our .
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
* individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
* declaration of interest
* additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
* conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in panel participant selection
* the application is an invited resubmission
For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read .
Institutional matched funding
There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations.
This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.
Publication of outcomes
ESRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at .
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the .
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
* opinion-formers
* policymakers
* the public
* the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
* context
* aims and objectives
* alignment with ADR UK strategic objectives and ways of working
* the challenge the project addresses, including all work packages
* potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
* project lead (PL)
* project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
* specialist
* grant manager
* professional enabling staff
* research and innovation associate
* technician
Only list one individual as project lead.
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.