NILS-RSU: Continuation 2012-2017

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The Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS) was established in 2006 and - because of its high sampling fraction, its ability to link with strategic non-standard health data, and its companion Mortality Study - is a resource unique in the UK. Its initial development was funded by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and the Health and Social Care Research and Development Division of the Public Health Agency (HSC R&D Division). It is currently used to examine issues such as migration, fertility and health. However, its power will increase with the imminent 2001-2011 Census link which will allow analysis of socio-economic and demographic transitions when the data is released in 2013. The NILS Research Support Unit (RSU) has been funded by the ESRC since 2009 with one staff member funded by the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM), specifically to develop usage more directly inclusive of policy concerns. The core RSU remit is to maintain a 'safe setting', to support users from project design through application and approval to data extraction, analysis and final output, and to promote the research and policy use of the NILS. The development of the NILS is overseen by a steering group that includes funders, data suppliers and users. Project approval is overseen by a Research Approvals Group (RAG) which includes data suppliers and funders. This RSU funding proposal (2012-2017) further develops this core remit. For the foreseeable future the usual user access methods (which includes supported 'remote' access) will utilise the safe setting so core support provision (noted above) will remain key functions managed from this office, as will the provision of working papers, metadata and other guidance. Existing consultation with users to agree service standards and streamlined application procedure will continue, and the aim of boosting service efficiency through online booking will be pursued. It is anticipated that user demand will grow when the linked data become available and planning is underway to get better facilities, equipment and more support officers to meet this. Promotion of the NILS via the 2001-2011 link through a research plan involving the policy community is significant in the bid in the medium term until 2015, and it is planned that the strong policy emphasis of the NILS will be taken forward and expanded. The proposal acknowledges fully the need to move beyond core business both to develop the NILS and to respond to a fast-changing external environment. It does this in several ways, including longer term plans taking the Unit to 2017. Some of these are aspirational and some are already in train. It seeks to contribute to the proposed UK LS Hub, and together with other LS support units (LS SUs), and other ESRC investments, to create economies of scale in training, promotion, advocacy and impact. The harmonisation of access, procedures, publicity and websites is part of this agenda as is the pooling of expertise between the LS SUs to deal with user queries. It also contributes to data sharing agendas by proposing a synthetic NILS database which can be shared and accessed remotely to improve the user experience and by exploring methodologies such as 'Datashield' technology for cross-LS analysis. These developments will benefit users, as will an exploration aimed at how remote user access to the NILS, avoiding the need to visit the safe setting, can be made safe and acceptable. The proposal also aims to contribute to wider agendas such as 'Beyond 2011' through research using the NILS (for example assessing the accuracy of address information); through working with users and data suppliers to encourage further exemplar data linkage; and by assessing how modelling might 'fill the gaps' in the NILS. The implications of a non-census future are considered along with the aspiration that the NILS-RSU could become the access point for linked official data by 2015.