On 9 September 2020 the UK government launched its National Data Strategy for consultation. It outlined the government’s framework strategy to drive the UK in building a world-leading data economy while ensuring public trust in data use. Responses to the consultation, which was open to organisations and individuals across the UK, will help expand the strategy’s evidence base, as well as its overall development.
How we engaged
We created and shared this spreadsheet to map the different elements of the National Data Strategy, to better see how they joined up and what they covered, to help us and anyone else plan their response to the consultation.
We worked in partnership with the Institute for Government, Ada Lovelace Institute, Royal Statistical Society and the Centre for Public Data, to hold a series of discussion events around how the goals of the National Data Strategy can best be implemented for encouraging economic growth and innovation while also protecting and empowering people through ethics, good governance and regulation. We’ve collaboratively published our notes from this series here: Getting data right: perspectives on the UK National Data Strategy 2020.
We’ve also published think-pieces and blog posts by the ODI team on key aspects of data, society, policy, and the economy, and exploring how our manifesto could contribute to a National Data Strategy.
Our Vice President Jeni Tennison wrote a piece in Data & Policy, The Data Conversation, about some of the challenges around developing a national data strategy, and some possibilities and considerations around data to support policy-making, the future of data protection in the UK, and data for the wider economy.
Our consultation response
We shared an outline of our draft consultation response online for public review and feedback, and have now submitted our formal consultation response. Our response and the outline draw on the evidence base of our projects and policy research, and on the insights we’ve gained from engaging with the community throughout the consultation period.
Next steps
The consultation closed on 9 December 2020. We look forward to the government publishing a summary of the consultation findings in the New Year, as part of its development of the National Data Strategy.
ODI manifesto
The UK National Data Strategy 2020: data as infrastructure, data for infrastructure
Sectors and societies must invest in and protect the data infrastructure they rely on: how could this principle be realised in a national data strategy?
The UK National Data Strategy 2020: equity, fairness and rights
Access to data and information promotes fair competition and informed markets, and empowers people as consumers, creators and citizens. How could this principle be realised in a national data strategy?
The UK National Data Strategy 2020: doing data ethically
The choices made about what data is collected and how it is used should not be unjust, discriminatory or deceptive – how can this be reflected in a national data strategy?
The UK National Data Strategy 2020: innovation with impact
Data must inspire and fuel innovation – how could this be realised in a national data strategy?
The UK National Data Strategy 2020: skills that count
We need data literacy for all, data science skills, and experience using data to help solve problems – can this be realised in a national data strategy?
The UK National Data Strategy 2020: engaging for resilience
Everyone must be able to take part in making data work for us all and people should collaborate on how data is used and accessed – how could this principle be realised in a national data strategy?