Using the 'Our Future Health' data resource for research

In this pilot scheme the Medical Research Council, with co-funder Our Future Health, covers data access costs for eligible MRC-funded researchers who use the Our Future Health resource, a dataset reflecting the diversity of the UK population, to discover and test more effective ways to predict, detect and treat major diseases. Proposed research must fall within MRC's remit to improve human health, and studies are expected to last one or two years. The pilot has a finite fund of £1,000,000. MRC pays the data access costs for one study per named researcher; compute on the DNAnexus platform that hosts Our Future Health is billed to researchers, with nominal cloud credits offered by Our Future Health to each study until at least 31 August 2027. Researchers first submit an expression of interest to MRC describing their current MRC funding, a summary of the proposed research and how it aligns with their MRC-funded work and MRC priorities; once eligibility is confirmed they register with Our Future Health and apply through its study application route and Access Board.

Researchers supported by MRC funding: holders of an MRC grant with at least six months remaining, researchers at MRC-funded institutes or units, and senior researchers applying for mainly MRC-funded students or fellows with at least six months of funding left. Applicants must not already be using Our Future Health data for the same research area; team members new to the resource may apply for a new research question. Access is subject to Our Future Health terms and is only available from specific countries and territories.