ADR UK Academic Lead 2026 to 2031: Better Economic Data (HMRC/DWP) (Grant)

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.

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 committed to achieving equality of opportunity 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 disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

Remit

Complete and submit the remit query form, if you are unsure whether your proposed research falls within the remit of ESRC.

Demand management

Demand management is not being applied to this funding opportunity.

Context

ADR UK 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).

ADR UK flagship datasets 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 five Safes Framework.

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 baseline of policy impact evidenced in the evaluation, 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 five safes framework. 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), benefits and pensions (RAPID) linked dataset. 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 training and capacity building offerings 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 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). 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 Linked Employer-Employee Data spine infrastructure. 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: Yohannes.lemma@ons.gov.uk

• 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 cass.dataexploitation@DWP.GOV.UK

• 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, HMRC acknowledges that this service isn’t scalable for broader use. 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 hmrc.datalab@hmrc.gov.uk

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 flagship dataset webpage with comprehensive user guide and data dictionary in collaboration with data owners and in accordance our minimum standards (PDF, 242KB).

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 ADR UK Public Engagement Programme.

The panel will operate in a similar capacity to the User Representation Panel (URP) 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 Facilities and resources for information on finding and using ESRC datasets 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 scientific, societal and economic impacts of their research. Outputs, dissemination and impact are a key part of the criteria for most expert review and assessment processes. We also encourage applications that demonstrate innovation and interdisciplinarity (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 Framework for Research Ethics 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 TR&I Principles 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 further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

Assessment process

Providing your application passes basic office checks, we will assess your application using the following process.

Assessment Panel

We will invite panellists with recognised expertise in the field of administrative data and the relevant areas of research, as well as representatives from data owning government departments, to review applications against the assessment criteria.

The panel will assess each application independently against the assessment criteria.

The panel will then meet to shortlist applications for interview. This will be done through a collective discussion to agree a consensus score for each application. The score agreed by the panel, based on how well the assessment criteria have been met, will be used to rank and shortlist applications for interview. Not every proposal that is deemed fundable may be invited for an interview.

Shortlisted applicants will receive brief feedback from the panel’s assessment meeting before the interview stage.

For more information on how we prioritise applications for funding please visit How we make decisions.

Interviews (virtual)

For shortlisted applications, the expert interview panel will conduct interviews with applicants after which the panel will make a funding recommendation to ESRC.

Virtual interviews will be held on 6 July 2026.

Shortlisted applicants will be informed about the panel’s decision to interview following the assessment panel meeting on 30 June 2026.

ESRC will make the final funding decision.

Timescale

We aim to inform applicants of the final decision by the end of July 2026.

Feedback

If your application was discussed by the expert panel, we will give feedback with the outcome of your application.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment (DORA) and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI Principles of Assessment and Decision Making.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in expert review

Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment, including to correct language, spelling, grammar and formatting. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard.

For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• vision

• approach

• applicant and team capability to deliver

• governance and management

• engagement strategy

• resources and cost justification

• ethics and responsible research and innovation

• organisational support

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Click here to start an application on the UKRI Funding Service https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1199/apply/1226

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 support@funding-service.ukri.orgPlease 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:

• how applicants use the Funding Service

• how research offices use the Funding Service

• how reviewers use the Funding Service

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 use of generative AI in application and assessment.

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 privacy notice.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email hub@adruk.org

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 UKRI’s privacy notice.

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 What ESRC has funded.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

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.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Vision

Word limit: 1,100

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)

• has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area

• is timely given current trends, context, and needs

• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment

• aligns with the funding opportunity objectives, including maximising the value of ADR UK flagship datasets working in active collaboration with the government departments that own these data

• addresses the need for providing appropriate user support to strengthen research community capability to use flagship datasets for public good research

• engages collaboratively with an appropriate balance of relevant stakeholders

References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Approach

Word limit: 2,500

How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:

• is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives

• is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed

• uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)

• summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)

• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts

• describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

• aligns with the requirements of this funding opportunity and its annexes

• includes active co-creation and user engagement throughout the duration of funding

• delivers outcome-focused outputs of appropriate quality, including robust quality assurance and user feedback processes, in partnership with data owning government department(s)

Within the Approach section we also expect you to:

• provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan including milestones and timelines

• highlight any proposed innovations (whether in data governance and systemic improvements, service design, research methodology, policy engagement, and so on) and how these can enhance your work programme.

• describe how you will work to maximise the value of linked datasets for wider research use, balancing data owners appetite for risk

• describe your contribution to the creation and development of wider, self-sustaining communities of practice

• explain what steps you will take to provide opportunities for users to benefit from your research, and to ensure that your research has maximum economic and societal impact

References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work

• the right balance of skills, and expertise to cover the proposed work

• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others

• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

• the ability to identify and overcome challenges associated with the use and linking of administrative data, and with providing safe access to administrative data for research purposes

• the ability to communicate clearly, translate complex information and advise and influence research users, practitioners and policymakers

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge

• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships

• contributions to the wider research and innovation community

• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Additions

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.References may be included within this section.

The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500

What are the ethical and RRI considerations, implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project

• the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, whilst minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm

• how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project

All necessary ethical approvals must be in place before the project commences, but do not need to have been secured at the time of application.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the service.

Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and Responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

• project staff

• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)

• any equipment that will cost more than £25,000

• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities

• all facilities and infrastructure costs

• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders. Where a funding limit is imposed on the opportunity, requested costs for reasonable adjustments may exceed the maximum funding amount.

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified

• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes

• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

You must identify how support for activities to either increase impact, for public engagement and or to support responsible innovation is costed in this application.

For detailed guidance on eligible costs please see the ESRC Research Funding Guide.

Governance and management

Word limit: 1,500

How do you propose to manage the award to successfully deliver its objectives?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

• will be effectively and inclusively managed, demonstrated by a clear management plan

• has clear leadership team roles and responsibilities (if applicable)

• has an appropriate performance monitoring framework to track and assess your progress

You should note that final performance monitoring framework, and KPIs, will be refined and agreed between the successful applicant, the funder, and ADR UK core partners within three months of the project start date.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

References may be included within this section.

Engagement strategy

Word limit: 500

Provide an outline of your engagement strategy for the duration of the study.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your engagement strategy will:

• maximise impact and achieve public trust (where relevant)

• outline plans for engaging relevant members of the public, academic, user, and policy communities

• how these plans will be delivered

References may be included within this section.

Your organisation’s support

Word limit: 100

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing how they will support you, as the applicant, and your proposed activities. This should include details of any additional support that might add value to the work.

Assessors will be looking for a strong statement of support from your research organisation which confirms that the applicant will dedicate a specific time amount within a reasonable range FTE to the award for its duration. This information should have been approved for submission by an appropriate institutional authority.

You must also include the following details:

• a significant person’s name, their position and office or department, or all

• office address or web link

Upload details are provided within the Funding Service on the actual application.

Background

The ADR UK programme is designed to facilitate secure access to de-identified population-level linked or linkable flagship administrative datasets for public good research, through our network of four Digital Economy Act-accredited Trusted Research Environments (TREs).

ADR UK has been awarded £168m to deliver the next phase of work, which will run from April 2026 to March 2031. In preparation, existing core academic and government partners are being commissioned to deliver ambitious programmes of work across these five years. Additionally, 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).

This funding opportunity is designed to complete the commissioning of academic partners to support DWP and HMRC to deliver on their agreed programmes of work.

Research and innovation impact

Impact can be defined as the long-term intended or unintended effect research and innovation has on society, economy and the environment; to individuals, organisations, and the wider global population.

See also: ADR UK and Impact.

Supporting documents

Annex 1 ADR UK Flagship Dataset Framework (PDF, 180KB)

Annex 2 ADR UK Academic Lead Role & Responsibilities (PDF, 92KB)

UKRI Equality Impact Assessment Form for the opportunity (PDF, 220KB)

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays

• disruptive working patterns and conditions

• the loss of ongoing work

• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Related content

• Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK). Data-driven change

• UKRI policies and standards

• ESRC research funding guide

• ESRC guidance for applicants

Related opportunities

• ADR UK Academic Lead(s) 2026 to 2031: Data First (MoJ)

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page.

The helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility, content or remit of a funding opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact Details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact hub@adruk.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.orgPhone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm

• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.