New £1 million fund to accelerate research access to health and care data in the South West

The South West Secure Data Environment (SDE) is offering funding for health and care organisations and universities in the South West to share more of the data they hold to drive ground-breaking research and innovation to improve patient outcomes. 

The funding call of £1 million is available to help organisations make their data ‘ research-ready’ and accessible securely within the South West SDE for approved research projects.

Hosted by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board, many partners from across the region are involved in developing the South West SDE, including Health Innovation South West and Health Innovation West of England.

Bristol GP Dr Charlie Kenward leads the South West SDE in his role as Research Clinical Lead at Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (BNSSG ICB). He said:

“We know there is a wealth of health and care data held by many organisations in the South West that is extremely valuable for research and innovation. Often this data may not be readily shared because of practical or governance challenges.

“This funding is intended to do the essential work, to allow researchers to access these datasets safely for approved projects using our secure NHS-owned platform.”

Successful applicants will benefit from expert guidance and support from the South West SDE team. The SDE is a core part of NHS England’s national strategy to improve health outcomes by enabling secure and responsible access to health and social care data for research purposes.