The Ministry of Justice Data First team has established an Academic Advisory Group (AAG) to support and champion the project .
The AAG will provide expert advice and challenge throughout the project and raise Data First’s visibility through engagement with research networks and academia, to ensure the project achieves its goal of facilitating and promoting research through administrative data.
The eight expert members of the AAG have a mix of specialist technical and methodological expertise in data-linking, as well as substantial experience of research across the justice system. This breadth of knowledge, alongside their range of academic networks, provides invaluable support and credibility for the progress of Data First.
Prof David Ford, Professor of Informatics at Swansea University, Principal Investigator of Administrative Data Research Wales (ADR Wales) and appointed Chair of the AAG Group, says,
“I had no hesitation in accepting the invitation to chair this group, as I am full of admiration for the Data First Project and its team from the MoJ. This ground-breaking initiative, backed by ADRUK, has already made an enormous difference to MoJ data and through the project’s ambitious and open approach to engagement with the academic community, is developing a new way of working with university based researchers that will undoubtly see benefits for all.”
Data First is an ambitious data-linking programme led by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and funded by ADR UK. It aims to harness the potential of the wealth of data already created by MoJ, by linking administrative datasets from across the justice system and beyond, and enabling researchers within government as well as approved academics to access the data in an ethical and responsible way.
Working in partnership with independent and expert academics to facilitate and promote research in the justice space, it will create a sustainable body of knowledge on justice system users and their interactions with government and across family, civil and criminal courts, to provide evidence to underpin the development of government policies and drive real progress in tackling social and justice problems.
Related news:
Expert academics appointed to guide and champion Data First
https://www.adruk.org/news-publications/news-blogs/expert-academics-appointed-to-guide-and-champion-data-first-211/
Data First: Harnessing the potential of linked administrative data for the justice system https://www.adruk.org/our-work/browse-all-projects/data-first-harnessing-the-potential-of-linked-administrative-data-for-the-justice-system-169/