The UK Statistics Authority Research Accreditation Panel has approved SAIL Databank and SeRP UK as ‘Accredited Processors’ under the terms of the Digital Economy Act 2017 and the UK Government’s statutory Research Code of Practice and Accreditation Criteria.
This important endorsement from the National Statistician and the Board of the UK Statistics Authority means that SAIL Databank and SeRP UK are recognised and trusted processors for the provisioning, storing, matching, linking and anonymisation of data. This strand of the Digital Economy Act 2017 (part 5) aims to ‘provide accredited researchers with better access to de-identified public sector data to support research projects for the public good’.
Originally a repository for health data, SAIL Databank has extended its scope to include administrative data to create even greater opportunities to build rich longitudinal cohorts for research. Containing billions of person-based records, SAIL Databank is the best characterised population data in the world. An extremely valuable research resource containing a huge array of high-quality data and metadata which continues to grow.
The Secure e-Research Platform (SeRP) UK utilises High Performance Computing that allows for multiple, complex data to be safely accessed, managed and analysed. SeRP UK is equipped with the technology and capability to work with new, emerging data types such as free-text, imaging, genetic and geographic data, and can facilitate projects involving AI, Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing.
The SAIL Databank and SeRP UK work hand-in-hand in a ‘centre of excellence’ within Swansea University’s Medical School, helping to position Wales as a world leader in the field of Population Data Science.
The Digital Economy Act 2017 accreditation, together with ISO27001 certification, will mean that SAIL Databank and SeRP UK exhibits the most robust governance protocols that provides reassurance to policy-makers, researchers and the general public. It demonstrates commitment to the highest, internationally recognised standards as well as being committed to the continuous improvement of its systems and associated controls through an annual review process.
The SAIL Databank is one of our research centres of excellence based within Population Data Science at Swansea University Medical School.