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8 pioneering research projects show the way on the value of data

8 pioneering collaborative research partnerships that will seek to use NHS data to deliver benefits to science, the economy and the UK population have received funding totalling £1.5million from the NHS Data for Research and Development Programme.

The projects include:

  • the development of trailblazing AI tools to help doctors choose the most effective antibiotics to fight serious infections
  • pioneering plans for the UK’s first secure, federated data system to support dementia research
  • generating the data and processes required to create 'digital twins' of patients and run computer simulations instead of, or alongside, traditional research trials

Developed and led by the NHS Research Secure Data Environment (SDE) Network, the 8 driver projects will speed up secure access to its globally unique data assets to support ground-breaking research across England. 

The successful projects – all of which involve more than one of the regional SDEs within the SDE Network – cover a wide range of public health priorities and have the potential to deliver major impact for patients. 

The SDEs involved will be working together and in close collaboration with a diverse array of partners – including academic institutions, NHS trusts, charities, national and international research organisations, and industry partners.   

The projects selected are all in areas where the SDE Network is in a unique position to accelerate discovery science and new partnerships at scale.  

The 8 projects receiving funding for 2025/26 are:

Connect D: Dementia Driver
Connect D: Dementia Driver

This project will create the UK’s first secure, shared dementia data system by linking data across five SDE regions as a testbed for a future national registry, ensuring it meets the needs of both the public and professionals. 

Developing a core diabetes data set
Developing a core diabetes data set

This project will define and test a diabetes core dataset, drawing together multi-SDE data from GP records, hospital data and research studies. The dataset will support cutting-edge research into new treatments, personalised care and better outcomes for people living with all types of diabetes across the UK.

Using AI to tackle anti-microbial resistance
Using AI to tackle anti-microbial resistance

This project will use the unique data assets of the SDE Network to develop new AI tools to help doctors choose the best antibiotics for patients with infections. It will focus on bloodstream infections – such as those linked to the life-threatening condition sepsis – and urinary tract infections, which lead to millions of GP and pharmacy visits each year. 

Advancing the understanding of the treatment of endometrial cancer
Advancing the understanding of the treatment of endometrial cancer

This project aims to enable SDEs across England to develop curated oncology datasets which can be analysed to deliver new knowledge that supports better treatment for patients with endometrial cancer.

Digital twins for testing medical devices
Digital twins for testing medical devices

This multi-SDE project aims to help revolutionise how we test technology for aortic valve replacement by  identifying the data and processes needed to create 'digital twins' of patients – virtual replicas that can reproduce real-world behaviours. This will enable the use of computer simulations instead of, or alongside, traditional trials.

Improving identification of key health issues in inflammatory bowel disease
Improving identification of key health issues in inflammatory bowel disease

This project will create a user-friendly, open-source tool that ‘reads’ routine clinic letters for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to find key health issues – such as depression, anxiety, anaemia, fatigue, and joint pain – that often go unrecorded in standard medical forms. The results will be shared to support better, more personalised care for people living with IBD.

Using AI to improve cancer record completeness
Using AI to improve cancer record completeness

This project will assess how an NHS-developed foundational AI model can be used to extract information from clinical notes so that more patients can be identified and invited to participate in clinical trials. It will also consider how such collaborations can be conducted for other projects and other disease areas.

Improving SDE workflows and processes to accelerate research
Improving SDE workflows and processes to accelerate research

This project will map and analyse workflows and processes across the SDE Network and the use of automation and digital tools to manage them. It will focus on processes that are unique or considered essential to SDE operations. This will help identify good practice, shared challenges and common patterns – supporting timely access to research data and making best use of public money.

This year's investment builds on the success of the Data for Research and Development Programme's first driver projects in 2024/25. Among these is Prostate Progress – an innovative study launched by Prostate Cancer Research in partnership with the SDE Network – which combines clinical data from SDEs with consented patients' real-life experiences to revolutionise prostate cancer care and treatment. Supported by actor Stephen Fry, a prostate cancer survivor, the project is developing a scalable data model with potentially huge social and commercial value.  

Last edited: 12 February 2026 4:48 pm