We’re the UK’s national programme for smart data research. Our mission is to unlock the power of data to improve lives.
Smart data is made whenever we engage with the digital world. When we buy something, ‘like’ something, or get directions.
If used for scientific research, smart data can change our world. It can help us to understand important social challenges, from disease prevention to climate change.
Blog
Our Healthy and Sustainable Places Data Service on how smart data could support future policy on unhealthy food.
News
Apply now! Applications open for the 2026 Masters Dissertation Scheme, organised by our Geographic Data Service.
News
Smart Data Research UK teams up with HDR UK to support creative community-led projects across the UK.
Event
The inaugural annual summit gathering, hosted by our Imago Imagery Data Service, takes place in Liverpool.
Financial Data Service for insights on financial behaviours, economic resilience and regional economic activity.
Geographic Data Service for new insights into equitable and sustainable growth from linked and georeferenced smart data.
Healthy and Sustainable Places Data Service for place-based research on health, lifestyles, and mobility.
Imago – Data Service for Imagery, unlocking the potential of satellite imagery to understand urgent challenges.
Smart Data Donation Service, empowering citizens to take control of their own data and share it safely with researchers.
Smart Energy Data Service, transforming our understanding of the UK’s energy system through integrated data.
Smart Data Research UK brings together companies and researchers to unlock the power of smart data for research.
We provide researchers with safe access to data to help address broader social, economic and environmental challenges.
Smart Data Research UK prioritises public involvement, transparency, ethics and responsibility.
University of Manchester researchers are investigating how to safely link social media data with political survey data.
Health researchers from Imperial College London, UCL and the University of Birmingham examine loyalty card data.
How University of Liverpool researchers used Mastercard data to assess the economic impact of a major music event.
Smart data can help us understand what drives growth and innovation. It helps us plan infrastructure for different communities across the UK and tackle inequalities. The advent of smart data sources provides a unique opportunity to study the factors that influence productivity and prosperity. These sources include professional social networks, transaction records and remote sensing.
Smart data can provide insights to improve population health and tackle inequalities. It can help us understand the drivers of the mental health crisis, and how we might live longer, healthier lives. Data sources might include financial transactions, loyalty cards, social media and wearable devices. Using the data, we can better understand the links between health, wellbeing, behaviours, circumstances and places.
Smart data can provide insights about online safety, misinformation, the digital divide and the future of work. The digital society research theme encompasses studying data from social media, search queries and online activity is vital for understanding the challenges and opportunities of advancing technology.
Smart data can help tackle issues such as decarbonisation, green growth and the transition to a sustainable future. Data generated through our use of devices and the data gathered by sensors have huge potential to support research related to environmental sustainability, one of our four research themes.