In a move that will see the UK broaden its health data science expertise, Health Data Research UK and the National Research Foundation Singapore have entered into a unique partnership, further embedding the UK on the international stage.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the two organisations, securing HDR UK’s place on the world stage as a leader in health data science and Singapore as a centre of excellence.
The MoU was signed/witnessed by Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, permanent secretary for national research and development; Heng Swee Keat, deputy prime minister of Singapore and chairman at the NRF; and Professor Andrew Morris, director at HDR UK.
Cross-continental collaboration
The leaders behind the partnership believe they can power ethical and trustworthy data use worldwide, ultimately building a robust global research platform.
The institutions leading on the collaboration include:
- University of Nottingham
- Swansea University Medical School
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research
- Trusted Research and Real-world Utilisation and Sharing Tech Office
“This partnership represents our collective dedication to unlocking the vast potential of health data,” said Prof Morris.
“It ensures that our joint advancements will deliver tangible, worldwide benefits, setting new standards in medical research and innovation.”
Targets
The HDR UK-NRF partnership has four main goals, ranging from promoting inclusivity to shaping the future.
They are:
- Accelerating trustworthy data use – develop and share best practice in information governance, public engagement, and trusted research environments.
- International scale research – harness open data standards and federated analysis to address global health challenges, demonstrating the potential of large-scale data science in cross-border research.
- Shaping the future of health data research – drive innovation through joint publications, conference presentations and educational activities to foster thought leadership.
- Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion – ensure that research benefits everyone, everywhere.
Trailblazing
The relationship will also be about building on several initiatives that are already underway, with the University of Nottingham laying the foundations for rapid data sharing.
Professor Tom Rodden, pro vice chancellor for research and knowledge exchange at the University of Nottingham, explained: “Our teams within Health Informatics in the School of Medicine have been leading the way to help forge the relationships such that together the organisations can tackle global health challenges.
“Led by Prof Philip Quinlan and with support from our excellent Digital Research Service, they have been developing tools using open-source software and open standards to assist partnering organisations’ ability to rapidly share access to data and insights to improve response times to crises such as pandemics or natural disaster.
“Critically, they have helped to foster interdisciplinary research by bringing experts from different fields to work on complex health problems and further facilitate development of tools, models and platforms saving time while also fostering innovation in health data analytics and visualisation.”
HDR UK says the partnership signals a significant step forward in unlocking the true power of data globally.
Image credit: iStock
