Health Data Research UK and Singapore’s National Research Foundation join forces to advance global health data science
Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) and the National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a collaborative partnership in healthcare and data science. The agreement aims to harness cutting-edge data science and research to drive improvements in healthcare, research, and innovation on a global scale.
Strengthening international ties
The partnership brings together two powerhouses in health data science: the UK, recognised as a leader in the field, and Singapore, known for its excellence in research and precision medicine. By combining their expertise, the two nations aim to address pressing healthcare challenges and extend the benefits of their collaboration beyond their borders.
Professor Andrew Morris, Director of Health Data Research UK, emphasised the importance of this collaboration: “To revolutionise healthcare, we must harness the power of whole system intelligence. This involves monitoring patient trajectories through primary, secondary, and tertiary care continuously and in real time. By collaboratively enhancing our capabilities, we can not only improve patient outcomes but also build a robust global research platform.”
The partnership involves multiple institutions, including the University of Nottingham, Swansea University Medical School, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and the Trusted Research and Real-world Utilisation and Sharing Tech (TRUST) Office at the Ministry of Health Transformation Singapore (MOHT).
Focus on trustworthy data use
A key priority of the HDR UK-NRF partnership is accelerating trustworthy data use. The collaboration aims to develop and share best practices in information governance, trusted research environments, and public engagement. This focus on safe and trustworthy use of health data is crucial for fostering public trust in data-driven healthcare solutions.
John Lim, Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation, Singapore, highlighted the potential of this collaboration: “The secure and responsible use of patient data has tremendous potential to transform healthcare systems and enable a healthier population through the early detection and treatment of diseases and chronic illnesses.”
International scale research initiatives
The partnership will prioritise cross-border research initiatives, utilising open data standards and federated analysis to address global health challenges. This approach demonstrates the potential of large-scale data science collaborations between countries and could set new standards for international research cooperation.
Professor Tom Rodden, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham, noted the importance of interdisciplinary research in this context: “Critically, they have helped to foster interdisciplinary research by bringing experts from different fields to work on complex health problems and further facilitate development of tools, models and platforms saving time while also fostering innovation in health data analytics and visualisation.”
Shaping the future of health data research
Through joint publications, conference presentations, and educational initiatives, the partnership aims to drive innovation in health data research. This collaborative approach will encourage thought leadership, training, and knowledge exchange, potentially shaping the future landscape of health data science.
Dr Sebastian Maurer-Stroh, Executive Director of A*STAR Bioinformatics Institute, expressed confidence in their contribution: “With our knowledge, expertise and experience in biomedical data analytics and data governance, A*STAR BII is well-positioned to advance secure cross-border population-level data analytics and research.”
Promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion
The collaboration places a strong emphasis on fostering positive research cultures and ensuring that research outputs benefit everyone, everywhere. This focus on equality, diversity, and inclusion aims to build a more inclusive global health ecosystem.
Professor Simon Thompson, Co-Director of SeRP and the SAIL Databank at Population Data Science at Swansea University Medical School, underscored the importance of this approach: “By sharing best practices in data governance and fostering cross-border collaboration, we can ensure that our research not only delivers scientific breakthroughs but also upholds the highest standards of data security, inclusivity, and public trust.”
Building on existing initiatives
This collaboration builds upon several key partner initiatives in the areas of trustworthy information governance and frameworks, federated analysis of data, and use of trusted research environments. These existing projects provide a solid foundation for the partnership to expand upon.
Mingshi Koh, Director of the TRUST Office at MOHT, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration: “Through partnerships with these trusted research environments and partners, we are excited to participate in the development of common standards, secure data sharing, analytics tools, as well as best practices in data governance and skills building.”
As the partnership between HDR UK and NRF takes shape, the medical and scientific community can anticipate significant advancements in health data science. This collaboration has the potential to accelerate the development of data-driven healthcare solutions, improve patient outcomes, and contribute to a more robust and inclusive global health ecosystem.
