Future data services: transforming discovery and access (invite only)
Future data services: transforming discovery and access (invite only) supports teams improving existing social science data services so researchers can discover, access and use data for public good.
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Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: December 3, 2026, 4:00pm UK time (Closing date)
Funding Amounts: £21.6 million total at 100% full economic cost for five to eight projects; ESRC funds 80% FEC; 24–48 months
Summary: Supports improvements to existing ESRC social science data services so researchers can discover, access and use data more easily.
Key Information: Only teams invited following selection at the Future Data Services sandpit can apply.
Description
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, funds this opportunity to transform discovery and access across its existing social science data service infrastructures. It implements recommendations from the Future Data Services Review, supporting a connected, user-centred and federated landscape that enables research for public good rather than creating additional services.
Projects can improve data discovery and curation, access to sensitive data, and technology-enabled pipelines for data management, discovery and access, including automation and AI. Improvements may address metadata, documentation, synthetic data and data deposit processes. The opportunity is agnostic about data types. Every project must include staff upskilling, with collaboration and engagement involving researchers, external users and data depositors underpinning service design and delivery.
