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Welcome to the network for Safe Data Access Professionals (SDAP).

The SDAP network facilitates the sharing of expertise, good practice and knowledge between organisations providing, or intending to provide, secure access to confidential data from the health, economics, and social science research sectors.

The network holds regular meetings, produces guides and resources including guidance in support of training and professional development, for those working within the data landscape.

The network was first established in 2011 by Tanvi Desai (formally of the London School of Economics and Administrative Data Service) as an informal group of specialists working with secure data access issues in Trusted Research Environments. From 2021-2024, UKDS (UK Data Service) is responsible for developing and delivering the SDAP membership service, bringing a fresh and dynamic approach to working with the SDAP Steering Group on strategic development and core operations. UKDS is being funded by ESRC to support the network to plan strategically how to meet the needs of a rapidly developing landscape and community of secure data access professionals.

Find out more about what we do.

To date, the network is made up of over 90 representatives from 40 organisations:

• AIMES: an arrow group company
• Big Data Institute (BDI) – University of Oxford
• Cancer Research UK
• Central Statistics Office, Ireland (CSO)
• Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)
• DARE UK (Data and Analytics Research Environments UK)
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Genomics England
• German Cancer Research Centre
• GESIS – Leibniz Institute for Social Sciences
• HDR UK (Health Data Research UK)
• HMRC Data Lab
• Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
• Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at University of Essex
• King’s College London
• Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) 
• National Centre for Social Research (NatCent)
• NHS Digital – Trusted Research Environment
• NHS – Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) – West of Scotland Safe Haven
• National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research  Agency (NISRA)
• Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) – University of Oxford
• Office for National Statistics – Secure Research Service (ONS-SRS)
• Public Health Scotland (PHS)
• Research Data Scotland (RDS)
• Scottish Longitudinal Study Development & Support Unit (SLS-DSU)
• Swansea University
• The Health Foundation
• The Alan Turing Institute
• The Francis Crick Institute
• UCL
• UK Data Service
• UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UKLL Collab)
• University of Dundee
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Leeds
• University of Liverpool
• University of Manchester
• University of Sheffield

If you are working in a secure data facility, or have been tasked with setting one up, then check out our free guidance and resources, plus, join our network to attend our events to confer directly with experienced specialists. To join, please review our membership joining details and then contact us