ADR UK Academic Lead(s) 2026 to 2031: Data First (MoJ)

ADR UK Academic Lead(s) 2026 to 2031: Data First (MoJ) is sponsored by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). ADR UK Academic Lead(s) 2026 to 2031: Data First (MoJ). Funding opportunity from Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Apply via the UKRI portal.

ADR UK Academic Lead(s) 2026 to 2031: Data First (MoJ) – UKRI Funding opportunity: ADR UK Academic Lead(s) 2026 to 2031: Data First (MoJ) Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) 30 March 2026 9:00am UK time 21 May 2026 4:00pm UK time Last updated: 11 May 2026 - see all updates Apply for funding to become an Academic Lead for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First programme to facilitate and deliver new and innovative research across the justice system.

The successful applicant(s) will be an integral part of the team, ensuring that the programme meets academic user needs and maximises the impact of research for the public good. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding. The role is expected to begin in autumn 2026.

Funding is available up to March 2031. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £500,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible . Who is not eligible to apply The following are not eligible to apply: project co-leads (international) (PcL (I)) Please note, ADR UK flagship data can only be accessed from within the UK.

Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers. We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances.

This includes: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process. Complete and submit the remit query form , if you are unsure whether your proposed research falls within the remit of ESRC.

Demand management is not being applied to this funding opportunity Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) has been awarded £168m to deliver the next phase of work, which will run from April 2026 to March 2031. In preparation, a suite of new government and academic partners are being commissioned to support the delivery of the ADR UK programme of work, including the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

ADR UK flagship datasets are made available to Digital Economy Act (DEA)-accredited researchers via the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service (SRS), the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank (SAIL Databank), and other ADR UK Trusted Research Environments (TREs), underpinned by the five Safes Framework .

This funding opportunity is designed to commission academic partners to support the MoJ to deliver on its agreed programme of work, in line with the ‘ADR UK Flagship Dataset Framework’ (see Annex 1) and the ‘ADR UK strategic objectives’ which include (but are not limited to), driving research for public good, increasing available data for research, and public trust .

Driving research for public good From a baseline of policy impact evidenced in the evaluation , continue to grow the contribution of administrative data to academic and public bodies of knowledge around major societal challenges. Increasing available data for research Maintain and enhance existing flagship linked datasets (where there is evidenced research need) to maximise their research utility within the five safes framework .

Further increase the availability of high-quality linked administrative data for research through the creation of new flagship datasets. Each new flagship dataset will be aligned to government research priorities, including supporting research into economic growth and productivity across the UK.

Improving research access and support Facilitate measurably better access to administrative data across the UK and smooth the researcher journey by speeding up the data access process and improving support services, including training and user support on using flagship datasets, for researchers seeking to access administrative data.

Continue to invest in research infrastructures that safeguard privacy and maintain the social contract with the public to use administrative data for research in the public good.

Increase the number of projects conducting meaningful public engagement and communicate these activities to ensure transparency alongside maintaining publicly accessible records of all our projects The Academic Lead(s) will be an embedded and integral member of the MoJ Data First team, acting as a critical bridge between government and academia.

They will combine academic expertise with an applied understanding of justice data, justice policy contexts and TREs, working closely alongside government analysts, policy colleagues and wider stakeholders. Through this collaboration, the Academic Lead(s) will help shape and increase policy relevant, methodologically robust, and impactful research in the public good.

The Academic Lead(s) will champion the programme across the academic community while supporting MoJ to realise the full value of its linked justice datasets.

This includes ensuring that: datasets are used to their research potential academic researchers are supported through their end-to-end journey from early scoping through to dissemination the programme remains responsive to emerging research questions, methods and user needs research activity is aligned with justice priorities, cross-government interests and the MoJ Areas of Research Interest (ARI, 2025) The successful applicant(s) will provide academic leadership on the use of linked justice data to generate novel and crosscutting insights across the criminal, civil and family justice systems.

Furthermore, the postholder(s) will ensure links with other public services such as education, social care and offending.

Data First flagship datasets include: Data First: Cross-Justice System – England and Wales Data First: Family Court linked to Cafcass and Census 2021 – England and Wales Ministry of Justice & Department for Education linked dataset – England As the data portfolio expands, it will provide new opportunities for research based on links with other government datasets.

The Academic Lead(s) will promote the exploration and development of innovative analytical and methodological approaches enabled by linked administrative and synthetic data. The Academic Lead(s) will support academic users to smooth the research journey and ensure that the programme meets their needs.

They will contribute to the development of processes, guidance and support that enable researchers to engage meaningfully throughout different stages of the data access and research journey. This includes supporting scoping and feasibility discussions, navigating data access routes and providing expertise to support robust analysis, quality outputs, and impactful dissemination.

The Academic Lead(s) will work with MoJ to build a skilled, engaged and sustainable community of data users, including via the establishment of an expert user group. The group will facilitate and encourage peer learning and shared problem-solving on data content, methods, tools, research priorities and feasibility, and dissemination.

Over time, this community will increasingly complement the core Data First team, strengthening research quality, impact, shared learning and resilience. The successful applicant(s) will take a significant role in delivering a programme of proactive academic engagement and outreach alongside Data First milestones.

This will include maintaining and expanding links with academic networks, leading on seminars, training and other events, supporting the design of funded fellowship opportunities, and being a visible champion for the programme across wider research communities. As an embedded member(s) of the Data First team, the Academic Lead(s) will support leadership and governance of the programme.

Through this role, Data First will: strengthen its position as a leader in justice and administrative data research deliver innovative interdisciplinary analysis ensure quality academic research shapes policy, practice and public understanding of the justice system Please note, there is one award available.

This award can be held by: one project lead and one project co-lead What the programme is looking for The ADR UK Academic Lead(s) for MoJ will be an embedded and core member of the Data First team. They will play a central role in facilitating new and innovative analysis across the justice system .

The role will maximise the research potential of linked administrative justice data to deliver new and impactful policy insights while ensuring that the programme consistently meets the needs of academic users. Applications should set out how the Academic Lead(s) will act as a bridge between government and academia.

They will combine, strong academic expertise in quantitative, interdisciplinary or administrative data research, as well as an applied understanding of justice data and policy contexts. They should also have experience of working within, or alongside, TREs.

ADR UK flagship datasets are made available to DEA-accredited researchers via the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service (SRS) and other ADR UK TREs, such as the SAIL Databank. The role is expected to support the development of a research ecosystem that delivers policy relevant, methodologically robust and impactful research in the public good.

Applicants should explain how they will provide academic leadership to: strengthen researcher capability to use flagship datasets for public good research represent researchers in the continuous improvement of Data First datasets and the wider researcher journey build and sustain an active, engaged community of researchers using Data First datasets expand policy relevant and impactful use of Data First datasets See Annex 2 for a full description of the expected role of ADR UK Academic Leads.

Funding up to March 2031 is available for an Academic Lead(s) to shape and increase policy-relevant and impactful research using MoJ Data First data by working with MoJ to deliver or support the following four objectives: strengthen researcher capability to use flagship datasets for public good research represent researchers in the continuous improvement of flagship datasets and the wider researcher journey build and sustain an active, engaged community of researchers using the data expand policy relevant and impactful use of flagship datasets Applications must cover all objectives to be considered eligible for this opportunity.

The successful Academic Lead(s) will work in partnership with the MoJ Data First team to shape their role and objectives during the course of the programme, in line with milestones agreed with ADR UK. Applicants are invited to set out how they would collaborate with MoJ to deliver the objectives below, recognising that priorities and activities will develop as the programme matures. Objective 1.

Strengthen researcher capability to use flagship datasets for public good research The Academic Lead(s) will support the MoJ Data First team to ensure academic users understand the datasets available, can use them effectively, and have access to quality advice, support and resources.

This will include: contributing to the ongoing development of processes, guidance and supports to enable researchers to engage effectively across all stages of their data access and research journey supporting scoping and feasibility discussions, including using tools and resources such as synthetic data or quality dashboards to refine proposals providing support for researchers to navigate data access routes, and shaping decisions on improving data access, such as a ‘single front door’ approach supporting the development and delivery of training and user support across academic networks to build skills and confidence in using flagship datasets, including for early career researchers and across multiple disciplines exploring and promoting the use of innovative analytical approaches, including advanced quantitative methods, interdisciplinary designs and techniques enabled by linked administrative and synthetic data working collaboratively with data owners, government analysts, data scientists, engineers and policymakers to support research that is feasible, ethical and well-governed, and aligned with commitments to transparency and public acceptability develop and promote products to support reproducibility and shared learning, including, for example, code, data descriptor papers, and summary statistics Objective 2.

Represent researchers in the continuous improvement of flagship datasets and the wider researcher journey The Academic Lead(s) will collaborate with MoJ to ensure that the programme continues to be designed around the needs of academic users and datasets evolve to improve usability, quality and impact.

This will include: identifying data-specific and methodological improvements that can enhance the value and impact of the programme’s data assets as they are refreshed, expanded and shared collaborating with data owners to improve the quality of datasets and documentation, ensuring feedback from researchers on dataset-specific issues is considered and acted upon keep the research community informed of updates, changes, and emerging issues to dataset improvements supporting the programme’s leadership and governance by representing academic needs at the Data First Project Boards, sharing insights to inform programme direction advocating for researchers in advising data owners on future dataset enhancements that maximise research value within the five safes framework and minimise disclosure risks providing expert reviews for academic research and ADR UK outputs Objective 3.

Build and sustain an active, engaged community of researchers using the data Reflecting the programme’s intention to build sustainable capability over time, the Academic Lead(s) will work with MoJ to establish an expert data user group. This group will, contribute to a wider, vibrant community that shares learning, builds capability and strengthens the evidence base.

This will include: contributing to the establishment and evolution of an expert data user group that can support researchers across the project lifecycle, from scoping and application through to outputs and dissemination encouraging peer-to-peer learning and shared problem-solving on data content, methods and tools, research priorities and feasibility, and dissemination via this group maintaining and expanding links with academic networks and institutions across UK nations, including those newly engaged as the scope of datasets broadens championing the Data First programme through communications and events and being a visible partner to the programme across government and academic research communities Objective 4.

Expand policy relevant and impactful use of flagship datasets In line with the programme’s commitment to policy-relevant research, the Academic Lead(s) will support Data First to ensure new research insights are timely and impactful for decision-makers. This will include: providing academic leadership for researchers and government on how linked data can be used to generate novel, cross cutting insights.

These should cover the criminal, civil and family justice systems, and their links with wider outcomes such as education, health and employment devising how research can best align with departmental priorities where new insights can have the greatest impact for policy and practice, in line with those set out in the MoJ Areas of Research Interest 2025 (ARI) supporting the effective dissemination of findings with policy, operational and wider stakeholders so insights are accessible, timely and meaningful for decision makers, so they have real-world impact leading a programme of academic engagement and outreach to be delivered alongside project milestones, including seminars, conferences, roadshows and other events to communicate evidence priorities and promote the research potential of datasets providing academic advice and input throughout research projects to support robust analysis, quality outputs and impactful dissemination supporting the design and delivery of research funding and fellowship opportunities, helping to shape research that responds to priority justice and cross-cutting research questions in line with the MoJ ARI 2025 supporting the role of the Data First User Representation Panel (URP) to enable meaningful collaborations with lived experience of the justice system Please contact the Data First mailbox with any queries, email datafirst@justice.

gov.uk Include the subject line: [Query RE ADR UK Academic Lead(s) 2026-31: Data First (MoJ)]. Projects must start by 05 October 2026. The award will conclude on 31 March 2031.

The FEC of your project can be up to £500,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC. ESRC supports a range of data infrastructure.

Where relevant, we encourage applicants to consider whether the use of these resources could add value to the project. See Facilities and resources for information on finding and using ESRC datasets which are available across the UK. Where relevant, details of datasets and infrastructure to be used in your project should be given in the Facilities section.

Please note, it is a minimum requirement of ADR UK funding for this opportunity that datasets are deposited and accessed via the ONS SRS. Datasets may also be deposited in other ADR UK TREs – for example, the SAIL Databank – with data owner permission, where there is value in doing this. Impact, innovation and interdisciplinarity We expect applicants to consider the potential scientific, societal and economic impacts of their research .

Outputs, dissemination and impact are a key part of the criteria for most expert review and assessment processes. We also encourage applications that demonstrate innovation and interdisciplinarity (research combining approaches from more than one discipline). Knowledge exchange and collaboration We are committed to knowledge exchange and encouraging collaboration between researchers and the private, public and civil society sectors.

Collaborative working benefits both the researchers and the individuals or organisations involved. Through collaboration, partners learn about each other’s expertise, share knowledge and gain an appreciation of different professional cultures. Collaborative activity can therefore lead to a better understanding of the ways that academic research can add value and offer insights to key issues of concern for policy and practice.

Knowledge exchange should not be treated as an ‘add-on’ at the end of a project but considered before the start and built into a project. ESRC requires that the research we support is designed and conducted in such a way that it meets ethical principles and is subject to proper professional and institutional oversight in terms of research governance .

We have agreed a Framework for Research Ethics that all submitted proposals must comply with. Read further details about the Framework for Research Ethics and guidance on compliance . Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. See further guidance and information about TR&I , including where applicants can find additional support.

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service, so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI. Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page: Confirm you are the project lead. Answer questions directly in the text boxes.

You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI. Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must: provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit) insert each new image on a new line use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words.

The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include: sentences or paragraphs of text excessive quantities of images A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: how applicants use the Funding Service how research offices use the Funding Service how reviewers use the Funding Service References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application. Hyperlinks can be used in reference information.

When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that: references are easily identifiable by the assessors references are formatted as appropriate to your research persistent identifiers are used where possible General use of hyperlinks Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information.

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment . ESRC must receive your application by 21 May 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines. Following the submission of your application to this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

ESRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications. We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice .

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email hub@adruk. org Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include: individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave) additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in panel participant selection the application is an invited resubmission For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice .

Institutional matched funding There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations.

This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff. ESRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at What ESRC has funded .

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application. We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information.

Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: alignment with ADR UK strategic objectives and ways of working the challenge the project addresses, including all opportunity objectives potential applications and benefits List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: project co-lead (UK) (PcL) Only list one individual as project lead.

Please note, there is one award available. This award can be held by: one project lead and one project co-lead If more than one project co-lead is added, your application will be rejected. Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications .

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how your proposed work: is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s) has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area is timely given current trends, context, and needs impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment aligns with the funding opportunity objectives, including maximising the value of ADR UK flagship datasets working in active collaboration with the government departments that own these data addresses the need for providing appropriate user support to strengthen research community capability to use flagship datasets for public good research engages collaboratively with an appropriate balance of relevant stakeholders References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how you have designed your approach so that it: is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable) summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable) will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work aligns with the requirements of this funding opportunity and its annexes includes active co-creation and user engagement throughout the duration of funding delivers outcome-focused outputs of appropriate quality, including robust quality assurance and user feedback processes, in partnership with data owning government department(s) Within the Approach section we also expect you to: provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan including milestones and timelines highlight any proposed innovations (whether in, for example, data governance and systemic improvements, service design, research methodology, policy engagement) and how these can enhance your work programme describe how you will work to maximise the value of linked datasets for wider research use, balancing data owners’ appetite for risk describe your contribution to the creation and development of wider, self-sustaining communities of practice explain what steps you will take to provide opportunities for users to benefit from your research, and to ensure that your research has maximum economic and societal impact References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Applicant and team capability to deliver Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have: the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work the right balance of skills, and expertise to cover the proposed work the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community the ability to identify and overcome challenges associated with the use and linking of administrative data, and with providing safe access to administrative data for research purposes the ability to communicate clearly, translate complex information, and advise and influence research users, practitioners and policymakers You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work. Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed.

Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI .

You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships contributions to the wider research and innovation community contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit Provide any further details relevant to your application.

This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them). Complete this as a narrative.

Do not format it like a CV. References may be included within this section. The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI) What are the ethical and RRI considerations, implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated: the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and