The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the largest funder of social and economic research in the UK, supporting high quality, independent research helping to address some of the major key societal challenges we face today. The ESRC Big Data Network brings together a series of highly innovative ESRC investments seeking to facilitate access to a greater range and variety of data to support high-quality social science. In making new forms of data available for research purposes, the ESRC Big Data Network has the potential to fundamentally transform the social sciences.
Led by two world class research teams based at UCL and the University of Leeds, the Consumer Data Research Centre has created a cutting-edge physical and virtual infrastructures which facilitate access to, and linking of, business and local government data in safe and secure settings. The Centre is at the forefront of ESRC’s work to open closed, proprietary datasets for research purposes and is demonstrating and exploring new and novel forms of partnership working with data owners which both support world class social science and deliver real value for our partners. By working through the methodological, ethical, legal and technical challenges associated with accessing, curating and analysing these datasets, the Centre is providing a fundamental foundation upon which the future of innovative, impactful social science can be built.