Feature

Data Safe Havens: CO-CONNECT Highly Commended in MRC’s Impact Awards

Published on 6 April 2023

The CO-CONNECT project team has been recognised for their work in making COVID-19 response data FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable or Reusable

On this page

We are delighted to share that CO-CONNECT has been highly commended by the Medical Research Council (MRC) at their recent Impact Awards. This prestigious recognition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire CO-CONNECT team, including colleagues at the University of Dundee’s Health Informatics Centre (HIC).

CO-CONNECT was a UK-wide research programme supporting researchers to find and access COVID-19 data at pace, whilst ensuring people’s information is kept private and secure.

This Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) collaborative project involved experts from the Universities of Nottingham, Dundee and Edinburgh, and was funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

HIC’s data safe haven and expertise in managing and analysing UK-wide health data at scale was instrumental in the success of the CO-CONNECT project. Through their contributions, the project brought together patient data from across the UK to help researchers access the data they need more easily to help develop potential therapies and treatment for COVID-19.

HIC’s Gordon Milligan, CO-CONNECT Technical Programme Manager and Deputy Director of the Alleviate Pain Data Hub, said,

“The MRC Impact Awards recognise outstanding research projects that have had a real-world impact, and we are proud to see CO-CONNECT among the top contenders. We are excited to continue pushing the boundaries of health data science.”

Gordon Milligan, CO-CONNECT Technical Programme Manager and Deputy Director of the Alleviate Pain Data Hub

Additionally, the CO-CONNECT project previously won an HDR UK Reproducibility Award, recognising the team’s commitment to making their research findings transparent and replicable. Two University of Dundee team members, Jenny Johnston and Erum Masood, also received HDR UK Hidden Role Awards. Their hard work and dedication have been integral to the success of CO-CONNECT.

Congratulations to the CO-CONNECT team, particularly colleagues at HIC, for these well-deserved honours.

To find out more about how the Health Informatics Centre data safe haven can support your project, please contact hicsupport@dundee.ac.uk

Story category Awards and accolades