Professor Chris Dibben part of £25m UKRI award to advance ADR Scotland’s data research

The School of GeoSciences is delighted to share that Chris Dibben, Professor of Geography (Health and Environment), is part of the partnership behind a £25 million award from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to support the next phase of ADR Scotland’s vital work linking data for public good.

The funding will support collaborative, policy-relevant research to 2031, addressing key societal challenges across health, education, justice, housing and the economy.

By enabling the safe and secure use of linked administrative datasets, ADR Scotland aims to generate robust evidence that supports better decision-making and contributes to Scotland’s National Outcomes.

Delivered through the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research, the programme brings together researchers from Scottish universities alongside partners in government and the public sector. These include the Scottish Government, Research Data Scotland (RDS), National Records of Scotland, Public Health Scotland, EPCC and the Electronic Data Research and Innovation Service (eDRIS).

Research delivered so far has provided insights into issues such as educational exclusion and absence, policing mental health distress, and outcomes for military veterans. The new investment will expand this work, strengthen partnerships, and modernise Scotland’s data linkage infrastructure, enabling faster and more sustainable access to high-quality datasets while maintaining strong ethical and security standards.

We are delighted to have secured a new phase of investment, building on our Government and research collaboration to deliver benefits to the people of Scotland and the UK. This funding will allow us to expand into new policy areas such as housing and the environment and improve our infrastructure for future research users.

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