The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has invested in social science-led data infrastructure since inception over 50 years ago, developing a portfolio that is truly world leading.
Technological and methodological advances, new legal frameworks and growth in the amounts and types of data being generated have transformed the context of these data infrastructures.
Against this changing backdrop, the new data infrastructure strategy is designed to enable ESRC to make the best long-term decisions about its public investment in data infrastructure.
ESRC’s investments will be vital to help understand and respond to challenges of profound societal importance, such as:
- climate resilience and the associated transformation of individual and organisational behaviour
- economic performance, localised challenges and the UK’s place in the world
- education and skills in an increasingly digital world
- equality, diversity and inclusion.
