Data requirements

It is the grant holder’s responsibility to incorporate data management and sharing as an indivisible part of the research project, and to increase the potential for data to be shared as per ESRC’s research data policy.

This is in line with the UKRI mission and Statement of Expectation for Societal and Economic Impact, that those who receive Research Council funding are expected to take responsibility for the curation, management and exploitation of data for future use.

This includes research materials resulting from primary data collection or generation, or derived from existing sources intended to be analysed in the course of a research project.

Further information

Guide to data protection

Administrative Data Taskforce: Improving access for research and policy

Data Protection Act 1998

Data Protection Act 1998, Section 33

Data Protection Act 1998, Section 7

Wellcome Trust: Governance of data access – Expert Advisory Group on Data Access (PDF)

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

JISC: Data protection and research data

NCRM: The ethics of secondary data analysis

Centre for Longitudinal Studies: How consistent is respondent behaviour to allow linkage to health administrative data over time? – CLS working paper 2015/3

Strategic action plan for effective and responsible collection, management and use of data across Scottish Public Services

The Administrative Data Research Centre Scotland: A scoping report on the legal and ethical issues arising from access and linkage of administrative data

Making a Freedom of Information request

Data Services: Guide for researchers

Relevant case studies

Data sharing and informants’ safety

Difficulties in depositing data

Consent and anonymisation

Last updated: 30 November 2023