Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Funding type:
Grant
Total fund:
£500,000
Maximum award:
£500,000
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 the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First programme to facilitate and deliver new and innovative research across the justice system.
The successful applicant(s) will be an integral part of the team, ensuring that the programme meets academic user needs and maximises the impact of research for the public good.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding.
The role is expected to begin in Autumn 2026. Funding is available up to March 2031.
The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £500,000. 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 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 Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
are made available to Digital Economy Act (DEA)-accredited researchers via the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service (SRS), the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank (SAIL Databank), and other ADR UK Trusted Research Environments (TREs), underpinned by the .
This funding opportunity is designed to commission academic partners to support the MoJ to deliver on its agreed programme 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
The Academic Lead(s) will be an embedded and integral member of the MoJ Data First team, acting as a critical bridge between government and academia. They will combine academic expertise with an applied understanding of justice data, justice policy contexts and TREs, working closely alongside government analysts, policy colleagues and wider stakeholders. Through this collaboration, the Academic Lead(s) will help shape and increase policy relevant, methodologically robust, and impactful research in the public good.
The Academic Lead(s) will champion the programme across the academic community while supporting MoJ to realise the full value of its linked justice datasets. This includes ensuring that:
* datasets are used to their research potential
* academic researchers are supported through their end-to-end journey from early scoping through to dissemination
* the programme remains responsive to emerging research questions, methods and user needs
* research activity is aligned with justice priorities, cross-government interests and the
The successful applicant(s) will provide academic leadership on the use of linked justice data to generate novel and crosscutting insights across the criminal, civil and family justice systems. Furthermore, the postholder(s) will ensure links with other public services such as education, social care and offending.
Data First flagship datasets include:
* * *
As the data portfolio expands, it will provide new opportunities for research based on links with other government datasets. The Academic Lead(s) will promote the exploration and development of innovative analytical and methodological approaches enabled by linked administrative and synthetic data.
The Academic Lead(s) will support academic users to smooth the research journey and ensure that the programme meets their needs. They will contribute to the development of processes, guidance and support that enable researchers to engage meaningfully throughout different stages of the data access and research journey. This includes supporting scoping and feasibility discussions, navigating data access routes and providing expertise to support robust analysis, quality outputs, and impactful dissemination.
The Academic Lead(s) will work with MoJ to build a skilled, engaged and sustainable community of data users, including via the establishment of an expert user group. The group will facilitate and encourage peer learning and shared problem-solving on data content, methods, tools, research priorities and feasibility, and dissemination. Over time, this community will increasingly complement the core Data First team, strengthening research quality, impact, shared learning and resilience.
The successful applicant(s) will take a significant role in delivering a programme of proactive academic engagement and outreach alongside Data First milestones. This will include maintaining and expanding links with academic networks, leading on seminars, training and other events, supporting the design of funded fellowship opportunities, and being a visible champion for the programme across wider research communities.
As an embedded member(s) of the Data First team, the Academic Lead(s) will support leadership and governance of the programme. Through this role, Data First will:
* strengthen its position as a leader in justice and administrative data research
* deliver innovative interdisciplinary analysis
* ensure quality academic research shapes policy, practice and public understanding of the justice system
Please note, there is one award available. This award can be held by:
* one project lead
* one project lead and one project co-lead
What the programme is looking for
The ADR UK Academic Lead(s) for MoJ will be an embedded and core member of the Data First team. They will play a central role in facilitating new and innovative analysis across the justice system. The role will maximise the research potential of linked administrative justice data to deliver new and impactful policy insights whilst ensuring that the programme consistently meets the needs of academic users.
Applications should set out how the Academic Lead(s) will act as a bridge between government and academia. They will combine, strong academic expertise in quantitative, interdisciplinary or administrative data research, as well as an applied understanding of justice data and policy contexts. They should also have experience of working within, or alongside, TREs.
ADR UK flagship datasets are made available to DEA-accredited researchers via the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service (SRS) and other ADR UK TREs, such as the SAIL Databank.
The role is expected to support the development of a research ecosystem that delivers policy relevant, methodologically robust and impactful research in the public good.
Applicants should explain how they will provide academic leadership to:
* strengthen researcher capability to use flagship datasets for public good research
* represent researchers in the continuous improvement of Data First datasets and the wider researcher journey
* build and sustain an active, engaged community of researchers using Data First datasets
* expand policy relevant and impactful use of Data First datasets
See Annex 2 for a full description of the expected role of ADR UK Academic Leads.
Scope
Funding up to March 2031 is available for an Academic Lead(s) to shape and increase policy-relevant and impactful research using MoJ Data First data by working with MoJ to deliver or support the following four objectives:
* strengthen researcher capability to use flagship datasets for public good research
* represent researchers in the continuous improvement of flagship datasets and the wider researcher journey
* build and sustain an active, engaged community of researchers using the data
* expand policy relevant and impactful use of flagship datasets
Applications must cover all objectives to be considered eligible for this call.
The successful Academic Lead(s) will work in partnership with the MoJ Data First team to shape their role and objectives during the course of the programme, in line with milestones agreed with ADR UK.
Applicants are invited to set out how they would collaborate with MoJ to deliver the objectives below, recognising that priorities and activities will develop as the programme matures.
Objective 1. Strengthen researcher capability to use flagship datasets for public good research
The Academic Lead(s) will support the MoJ Data First team to ensure academic users understand the datasets available, can use them effectively, and have access to quality advice, support and resources. This will include:
* contributing to the ongoing development of processes, guidance and supports to enable researchers to engage effectively across all stages of their data access and research journey
* supporting scoping and feasibility discussions, including using tools and resources such as synthetic data or quality dashboards to refine proposals
* providing support for researchers to navigate data access routes, and shaping decisions on improving data access, such as a ‘single front door’ approach
* supporting the development and delivery of training and user support across academic networks to build skills and confidence in using flagship datasets, including for early career researchers and across multiple disciplines
* exploring and promoting the use of innovative analytical approaches, including advanced quantitative methods, interdisciplinary designs and techniques enabled by linked administrative and synthetic data
* working collaboratively with data owners, government analysts, data scientists, engineers and policymakers to support research that is feasible, ethical and well-governed, and aligned with commitments to transparency and public acceptability
* develop and promote products to support reproducibility and shared learning, including, for example, code, data descriptor papers, and summary statistics
Objective 2. Represent researchers in the continuous improvement of flagship datasets and the wider researcher journey
The Academic Lead(s) will collaborate with MoJ to ensure that the programme continues to be designed around the needs of academic users and datasets evolve to improve usability, quality and impact. This will include:
* identifying data-specific and methodological improvements that can enhance the value and impact of the programme’s data assets as they are refreshed, expanded and shared
* collaborating with data owners to improve the quality of datasets and documentation, ensuring feedback from researchers on dataset-specific issues is considered and acted upon
* keep the research community informed of updates, changes, and emerging issues to dataset improvements
* supporting the programme’s leadership and governance by representing academic needs at the Data First Project Boards, sharing insights to inform programme direction
* advocating for researchers in advising data owners on future dataset enhancements that maximise research value within the five safes framework and minimise disclosure risks
* providing expert reviews for academic research and ADR UK outputs
Objective 3. Build and sustain an active, engaged community of researchers using the data
Reflecting the programme’s intention to build sustainable capability over time, the Academic Lead(s) will work with MoJ to establish an expert data user group. This group will, contribute to a wider, vibrant community that shares learning, builds capability and strengthens the evidence base. This will include:
* contributing to the establishment and evolution of an expert data user group that can support researchers across the project lifecycle, from scoping and application through to outputs and dissemination
* encouraging peer-to-peer learning and shared problem-solving on data content, methods and tools, research priorities and feasibility, and dissemination via this group
* maintaining and expanding links with academic networks and institutions across UK nations, including those newly engaged as the scope of datasets broadens
* championing the Data First programme through communications and events and being a visible partner to the programme across government and academic research communities
Objective 4. Expand policy relevant and impactful use of flagship datasets
In line with the programme’s commitment to policy-relevant research, the Academic Lead(s) will support Data First to ensure new research insights are timely and impactful for decision-makers. This will include:
* providing academic leadership for researchers and government on how linked data can be used to generate novel, cross cutting insights. These should cover the criminal, civil and family justice systems, and their links with wider outcomes such as education, health and employment
* dvising how research can best align with departmental priorities where new insights can have the greatest impact for policy and practice, in line with those set out in the
* supporting the effective dissemination of findings with policy, operational and wider stakeholders so insights are accessible, timely and meaningful for decision makers, so they have real-world impact
* leading a programme of academic engagement and outreach to be delivered alongside project milestones, including seminars, conferences, roadshows and other events to communicate evidence priorities and promote the research potential of datasets
* providing academic advice and input throughout research projects to support robust analysis, quality outputs and impactful dissemination
* supporting the design and delivery of research funding and fellowship opportunities, helping to shape research that responds to priority justice and cross-cutting research questions in line with the MoJ ARI 2025
* supporting the role of the Data First User Representation Panel (URP) to enable meaningful collaborations with lived experience of the justice system
Further enquiries