The UK Data Service’s reaches 10,000 datasets in its collection
The UK Data Service has reached numerous major landmarks since its inception in 1967, but is still very much committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation in the world of data, both in the UK and across the world.
Most recently, the UK Data Service reached another significant milestone when it surpassed holding over 10,000 datasets in its collection.
Over the past six decades, the UK Data Service and its forerunners have been at the heart of social science data preservation and access in the UK, supporting researchers by simplifying findability and access to the largest collection of social, economic and population data in the UK.
UKDS’s data collections include surveys, longitudinal studies, UK census data, international macrodata, qualitative data, and mixed data. All data is carefully curated, with standards-compliant metadata – an approach which supports the FAIR principles: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable.
Marking the milestone, Steve McEachern, Director of the UK Data Service, said: “The fact we can now make over 10,000 data collections available to our users underlines the importance of the UK Data Service to the country’s research infrastructure.
“We’re immensely grateful for the support we continue to receive from the wider research community, and we remain committed to working tirelessly in the coming years to further expand our collection and create an even richer resource for researchers.”
Director Steve McEachern speaking to the UKDS staff at their "Away Day" at the University of Essex.
Camilla Philpot Thomsen, the Associate Director, Data Operations, for the UK Data Service, added: “Reaching 10,000 data collections reflects decades of careful work by our teams and our partners to ensure that valuable research data is not only preserved but made usable for the long term.
“Every dataset added to the UK Data Service represents an investment in future discovery – enabling researchers, policymakers and students to build on existing knowledge and address new challenges.”
Placide Abasabanye and Louise Carpenter from the UKDS training team.
“your place to begin when you want to see the data that’s there already”
Around the same time as the announcement was made, the UKDS also released their new film about the work they do.
The film explains the value of the UK Data Service’s key services to researchers around the world and how it supports their work to make positive changes to people’s lives. It also highlights how UKDS helps over 52,000 researchers worldwide to drive impactful social and economic research.
As Alison Park, Deputy Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) states in the film, the UK Data Service is “your place to begin when you want to see the data that’s there already… you are then in a much better position to get a sense of ‘what’s my research going to need to take it into account?’”
Dominico Rivera, Iraklis Kyritsis, Sion Clarke and Anna Woodfield from the UKDS access team.
Furthermore, the film explains how the UK Data Services key partnerships all work together harmoniously as one unit:
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The UK Data Archive, based at the University of Essex
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The Cathie Marsh Institute, based at the University of Manchester
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The Department of Information Studies at University College London
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EDINA, based at the University of Edinburgh
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Jisc, which is a national organisation that supports higher and further education
As hosts of the largest trusted digital archive of its kind, UKDS’s expertise in the collection, preservation and dissemination of quality data is the culmination of nearly 60 years of sustained investment by the ESRC in the UK’s research data infrastructure.
Meticulously curated over this period from trusted data providers including governments, the Office for National Statistics, the ESRC and diverse other funders and data owners, their digital collection comprises nationally and internationally significant datasets such as the Census, Understanding Society, the UK Cohort Studies, the Labour Force Survey, the Family Resources Survey and many more.
Recently, they also teamed up with CLOSER to produce a new podcast about how research data can help shape government policies.
Over the two episodes, four experts explore how further awareness of research data could be raised among policymakers, so that it can be used to guide even better decisions in the future.
The panellists included:
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Dr Steve McEachern (Director of UK Data Service)
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Rob Davies (Head of Policy and Dialogue at CLOSER)
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Prof Emily Marchant (Lecturer at Swansea University)
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Natasha Mutebi (Social Sciences Lead at the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST))
The cooperation with CLOSER will continue when a new event is launched on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, in Manchester: Perspectives on Engagement and Impact.
It will focus on explaining how early career researchers can turn their findings into real-world change.The event is designed to help researchers connect with peers and stakeholders and learn directly from their perspective how to engage people with research in ways that drive impact.
The free event will also be packed full of engaging activities including an interactive workshop led by policy engagement specialists from CLOSER.
Camilla Philpot Thomsen wishing everyone at UKDS and in the wider CESSDA community a happy holiday season.
Please find out more about other UK Data Service Resources:
Training and events - UK Data ServiceUK Data Service Learning Hub