This document responds to the Department for Business and Trade’s consultation on Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy green paper. As we outline in this response, we believe that data infrastructure should be recognised not just as an enabler but as a critical growth-driving sector in its own right, requiring its own comprehensive 10-year plan in the form of a National Data Infrastructure Roadmap. This infrastructure sits horizontally across the economy and society, underpinning productivity, innovation and public service delivery across all growth-driving sectors.
Key components of our response
- The National Data Library must be designed to be AI-ready from the outset. Our forthcoming research shows that current government data is not AI-ready - based on testing more than 13.5K pages on data.gov. Making data more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) through standards like Croissant would enable its use in AI development while ensuring appropriate governance befitting public sector data.
- Smart Data schemes require pan-sector standards and governance mechanisms to deliver economic benefits. A central authority should develop cross-sector standards, ensuring interoperability and reducing data silos. The UK should learn from international initiatives like Data Spaces which highlight successful models for automating data access, incentivising business participation and establishing sector-based data ecosystems.
- The potential of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) must be thoroughly explored to build public trust, which is essential for unlocking the full value of data across the economy. Technologies like Solid - which is now stewarded by the ODI - can give citizens control of their data through Personal Online Data Stores (Pods) while enabling innovation. This is crucial for unlocking value from sensitive data, particularly in healthcare.
- We must better recognise data's value as a national asset. While traditional accounting standards do not universally recognise data as an asset, evolving standards may become necessary as data becomes increasingly central to business operations and strategy. The government has a role in engaging on this key issue which affects every business and sector.
At the ODI we have extensive experience working on data infrastructure and governance initiatives that have helped give insight to this submission. We’ve worked with industry, civil society, smart data implementation entities, and also are members of the Smart Data Council to the government—all of which hopefully gives a sense of the scope of our institutional insight into these recommendations for how data can be a foundation and driver of growth in the decade ahead.
Finally, we believe civil society must play a significant role in shaping data infrastructure and governance. We recommend throughout this response - and in all our work - that involving diverse stakeholders in stewarding initiatives like the National Data Library and smart data schemes will ensure different perspectives are properly represented.
