ESRC Smart Data Research UK Strategic Advice Team

A 2-year ESRC project funded to convene & leverage national and international expertise from across the entire Smart Data + Digital Footprints landscape.

Welcome!

The purpose of this webpage is to provide an overview of current and upcoming ESRC Smart Data Research UK (formerly Digital Footprints) Strategic Advice Team (SAT) activities and to provide ample avenues for stakeholders and community members to get involved and provide input. The ESRC’s Smart Data Research UK programme presents an enormous opportunity for social and economic researchers across the UK and, to maximise the success of the investment, we are here to collect expertise and perspectives and also share opportunities widely.

This is a simple website by design, aimed to provide easy access to our formal activities, which include:

We will review and digest the input we receive across these various activities, providing a series of reports and roadmaps, as we go.

About the ESRC Smart Data Research UK Programme

An overview of the Smart Data Research UK programme and ESRC contact information can be found here. See below for the latest opportunities!

Current Smart Data Research UK Funding Opportunities

Stayed tuned for new opportunities.

About the Strategic Advice Team (SAT)

The SAT is led by Prof Rachel Franklin at Newcastle University and includes Prof Simeon Yates and Dr Elena Musi at the University of Liverpool, Dr Omar Guerrero at the Alan Turing Institute, and Dr Seth Spielman as an international partner at Microsoft in the United States. The SAT also includes two early-career researchers: Jeanette D’Arcy at the University of Liverpool and Jessica Crosby at Newcastle University.

Getting Involved!

The Strategic Advice Team will be wrapping up its activities at the end of 2024! We’d like to thank you for all of your support over the past two years. Smart Data Research UK is keen to keep you informed and updated on its news, funding opportunities and events. Do sign up to the Smart Data Research UK newsletter, and you can follow the team on LinkedIn.

Workshops

We are convening a series of online workshops on different topics over the next two years. Please see below for details, including registration links, where available.

  1. Project Launch Workshop (13 January 2023)
  2. Research and Data Priorities (aka Pillars and Data Centres) (7 March 2023)
  3. Identifying Researcher Needs (18 April 2023)
  4. International Best Practice (18 May 2023)
  5. Digital Footprints Research Infrastructure (7 June 2023)
  6. Meet the ESRC Digital Footprints Programme Team! (18 July 2023)
  7. Smart Data for Government and Policy (15 December 2023)
  8. Data Access and Permissions (31 May 2024)
  9. Ethics and Legalities (7 October 2024)

Questionnaire

This survey, designed by researchers at the University of Liverpool and University of Newcastle, aimed to gain insights into experiences in the area of smart data for social science research.

The survey served to help map the needs, challenges, enablers and best practice currently experienced by those working with smart data (and/or those who would like to in future), both in the UK and in collaboration with international partners, as well as tapping into what future directions of travel in this space could be.

Interviews

We recently conducted expert interviews, starting with our SAT Advisory Group members and snowballing from there, as necesary. We were especially curious about the following:

Digital Data Dives

Data Dive 1

In collaboration with the CDRC, our first Data Dive will took place at the Digital Innovation Facility at the University of Liverpool on 29 April 2024. It offered an excellent opportunity to network with others interested in working with smart data, get hands-on experience dealing with challenges of engaging smart data, talk about specific opportunities, and learn a little more about the work of the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC). Our purpose was to highlight best practices, dig into the data, and explore the potential for innovative social research. This was a full day event, starting at 10am and ending at 5pm, with lunch and refreshments provided.

Data Dive 2

Our second Data Dive was held in collaboration with the Urban Big Data Centre (UBDC) on 13 June 2024 and highlighted several datasets of interdisciplinary interest. Participants discussed data structures and brainstormed exploratory research with this data. Our purpose was to highlight best practices, dig into the data, and explore its potential for innovative social research. This was a full day event, starting at 10am and ending at 5pm.

Data Dive 3

Ourd third Data Dive will take place at the Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge on 25th October 2024. The SDR-UK SAT team intend this as an excellent opportunity to network with others interested in working with smart data, get some hands-on experience dealing with challenges of engaging smart data, talk about specific opportunities, and learn a little more about logistics and supply chain data.

The aim of the data dive is to assess the robustness and resilience of the network to various types of disruptions in critical mineral (CrM) supply, and trial out different intervention scenarios. CrM supply networks are very complex, stretching across tens of thousands of companies, from commodity production or extraction, through to consumption. The UK Government’s strategy on critical minerals acknowledges that supply is vulnerable and will be outstripped by demand in the medium term if sufficient intervention is not taken. The data dive will focus on datasets characterising complex, large-scale automotive EV battery supply networks, which consist of multiple tiers of firm-to-firm buyer-supplier connections as well as production and location information. Assembled using a diverse range of secondary data sources, the data covers most major western automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Beyond helping with questions on supply chain resilience to disruptions in critical minerals, the data dive will demonstrate how large-scale smart data can be used to help with supply network research by asking questions simply could not have been answered before.

At this third Data Dive, we will be engaging with datasets of interdisciplinary interest, discussing their structure and brainstorming research questions to be answered using this data. Our purpose is to highlight best practices, dig into the data, and explore the potential for innovative social research. We invite you to bring your expertise and enthusiasm to the table to ensure that we assemble a diverse range of researchers of different backgrounds, experiences, and career stages to contribute to this new event. 

The event will be a full day event, starting at 10am and ending at 5pm, with lunch and refreshments provided. A full agenda will follow prior to the event. There are a limited number of travel support bursaries available for the event; if you would like to be considered for this bursary, please indicate this on the expression of interest form below: https://forms.office.com/e/qDu8Yihf2M

In order to provide the best experience possible, it would be beneficial if we could confirm numbers quickly – if you are able, please respond by completing the EOI form by 18th Oct 2024.

Data Dive 4

Check back soon for more information!

Reports

SDR UK SAT activities are summarised in a series of reports:

  1. DATA SERVICES & THEMATIC RESEARCH PILLARS
  2. RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE & LEARNING FROM INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICE
  3. INTERVIEW FINDINGS