For Researchers and Innovators
Our vision for the Gateway is to streamline the end-to-end user journey to search, discover and request access to the wealth of health and associated Datasets, Analysis Scripts & Software, Publications and Research Projects from across the UK and beyond.
Key functionality
The landing page of the Gateway provides buttons which enable you to jump to each of the key features. These are summarised below. The Support Centre gives more information about how to use each of these resources.
Datasets & BioSamples
Explore Datasets & BioSamples from the across the UK and beyond and then navigate their associated content, such as, metadata, data provenance, and demographics or Gateway entities, such as, linked Datasets, Publications, and Analysis Scripts & Software.
Data Uses / Research Projects
Find Data Uses / Research Projects: search and filter Data Uses / Research Projects related to specific Datasets and other features.
Cohort Discovery
Query federated datasets to find out how many records match a specified criteria e.g. the number of females with asthma. This is useful for high level feasibility analysis or to find potential recruits for clinical trials. Queries run on both routinely collected electronic health records and research collected cohorts.
Analysis Scripts & Software
Discover reusable community shared scripts and software: search for data analysis / cleaning / transformation / standardisation scripts related to specific datasets or general scripts and software.
Publications
Understand what research has been undertaken utilising specific Datasets: search and deposit Publications which have used a Dataset or Publications which describe a Dataset.
Data Custodians
Discover networks of Data Custodians to learn about the Gateway entities available across a network e.g. the NHS Research Secure Data Environment (SDE) Network or Scottish Safe Haven Network.
Data Custodian Networks
Discover networks of Data Custodians to learn about the Gateway entities available across a network e.g. the NHS Research Secure Data Environment (SDE) Network or Scottish Safe Haven Network.
Collections
Discover Gateway entities: Datasets & BioSamples, Analysis Scripts and Software, Data Uses / Research Projects, and Publications grouped together by domain, disease, theme, or organisation.
Phenotypes
Find reusable phenotype algorithms: search and deposit human and machine-readable phenotyping algorithms.
Courses
Discover training materials and resources to enhance your data science skills for health data research. Learn at your pace and achieve CPD certificates to show case your personal development.
Data Access
On the Gateway, you can request access to datasets for your research easily. You can find guidance to help you consider all the aspects of your application before submission and you can contact the data custodian to discuss your requirements.
Some datasets listed on the Gateway use an access request form based on the Office for National Statistics ‘5 Safes’ framework. This is helping to establish best practice and helps you consider all the aspects of your application before submitting it.
Curation
The Gateway Collections curate and group resources around a particular area or theme to help you browse.
Via your account you can add your own health data resources to the Gateway such as Analysis Scripts & Software and Publications.
Resources can link to each other and you can also create your own Collection to tie everything together.
How can I get involved?
Sign up to our Gateway newsletter to stay up to date on new developments, datasets and events.
What next?
In 2024, Health Data Research UK released a major new version of the Gateway, with a reenvisaged user interface, enriched search, new data types and a wealth of other enhancements.
The Gateways modular and scalable design enables it to be rapidly and iteratively enhanced, with scheduled releases every fortnight going forward. These improvements will be documented in our public Gateway release notes.
This page provides a high-level summary of our roadmap for the year ahead, and has been developed in collaboration with Data Custodians and the wider research community through workshops, discussions, and submitted feature requests. If there is a Gateway feature, integration or idea that would further support or accelerate your research please do get in touch to discuss this with us via our Support centre.
The Gateway roadmap for the year ahead includes:
- Continuing to work closely with Data Custodians to take advantage of the wealth of enhanced Gateway features that improve data discoverability through data type classifications, demographics, linkage to datasets, publications and software, structural metadata, and synthetic datasets.
- Working closely through the Health Data Alliance to further develop the Gateway schema, particularly in the areas of clinical trials and wearables.
- Expanding our support for translation to and from a wider range of external schemas.
- Releasing an enhanced Data Access Request Module that simplifies and accelerates processes.
- Providing a dashboard for Data Custodians with key information about their datasets.
- Supporting a wider range of single sign on options, including nhs.net, ORCID ID and AAI Life sciences.
- Supporting federated searching across national and international portals/catalogues.
- Integration with Elixir/GA4GH Beacons, that complement our Cohort Discovery tool to enable federated queries across sensitive genomic and biomedical data.
- Integration with UKCRC Tissue Directory and Coordination Centre.
- Improved support for accessing the Gateway through mobile and tablet devices.
- Development and integration of the Researcher Registry that further accelerates Data Access Requests by standardising and managing the approval of safe people and safe organisations.
- Significantly expanding Cohort Discovery tool coverage to more datasets by supporting onboarding of more Data Custodians.
- Integrating Cohort Discovery into Gateway search.
- Supporting federated analytics and federated GWAS capability.