This meeting included speakers with a range of experiences of different data types (qualitative and quantitative). It brought together experts from across the UK to explore the multifaceted challenges of working with sensitive research data. Presentations covered a broad spectrum of topics, which together painted a comprehensive picture of the current landscape and future directions:
Frameworks for Safe Data Access
The 5 SAFEs - How UK Data Service makes sensitive (and other) data available for research
- John Sanderson introduced the Five Safes framework, demonstrating how the UK Data Service enables secure access to sensitive and non-sensitive data for research purposes.
Barriers to Openness
Privacy, power, people – what is preventing sensitive health data from being more open?
- Saskia Lawson-Tovey examined the social and structural factors—privacy, power dynamics, and public trust—that limit the openness of sensitive health data.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Data protection and Generative AI
- Luke Thompson addressed emerging challenges in data protection, particularly in relation to Generative AI, highlighting the need for updated governance and legal frameworks.
Lessons from Practice
Ship shape and Bristol fashion: Lessons learnt through 10 years of sensitive data release
- Zosia Beckles shared insights from a decade of managing sensitive data releases, offering practical lessons and reflections on institutional processes.
Ethical Data Sharing in Archives
Ethical Data Sharing in the Digital Archives Space—An Enterprise Perspective
- Laurisa Sastoque Pabon explored ethical considerations in digital preservation and enterprise-level data sharing, with a focus on archival contexts.
Infrastructure and Trusted Research Environments
A short history of nearly every-TRE-ing
- Fergus McDonald provided a historical overview of Trusted Research Environments (TREs), tracing their evolution and role in enabling secure research access.
Download the presentation slides that introduced the meeting.