Government plans to maximise public sector data

techUK are pleased to see that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has provided an update on the National Data Library and announced the launch of five new projects that will test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve lives. We also encourage members to respond to the new survey on potential opportunities for public sector data use.

The National Data Library (NDL), which was announced as part of the January 2025 AI Opportunities Action Plan, is being established to unlock, secure, and share public sector data for AI research and development. As part of this initiative, the NDL set out to identify five high-impact public sector datasets that could be made available.

The new ‘kickstarter’ projects, which have been launched with the Government Digital Service and public sector bodies, will test how connecting public sector data across energy, social care, legal records and weather insights can deliver better services to tackle everyday challenges.

The projects include:

Partnering with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to deliver the new Get Adult Social Care Data service.
Bringing together data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) so those who need energy bill support.
Exploring whether closer integration of services can reduce extensive health-related admin for disabled people and those with long term health conditions.
Researchers testing how trusted Met Office data could be converted into formats suitable for AI tools and other technology.
Exploring how streams of authoritative legal data from the National Archives could be made AI-ready to provide small and medium-sized businesses from cafes to shops with easy to access legal support.

To deliver on the Industrial Strategy’s ambition to recognise the power of data as the foundation of reformed public services and the problems AI can solve, in some of the projects, data held by public bodies is being explored to understand if AI can boost their effectiveness.

Supercomputing capacity

To support the acceleration of AI and innovation, the government is boosting the UK’s supercomputing power by investing a further £16 million in the AI Research Resource supercomputing capacity at the University of Cambridge, combined with a new National Compute Resource funded by UKRI. This will boost the compute resource at Cambridge, offering UK researchers, SMEs and start-ups access for the first time to advanced AMD hardware - extremely powerful computer chips which will enable them to train AI models and drive new scientific breakthroughs.

Creative Content Exchange

As part of their R&D Missions Accelerator Programme, the government has also announced a pilot scheme to get a new Creative Content Exchange going. This will be a marketplace to sell, buy, license and enable technology companies and AI developers access to digitised cultural and creative assets so they can be licenced at scale, while respecting the rights of creators and copyright owners. It will include testing a range of commercial licensing models, with the aim of launching the operational pilot platform by Summer 2026.

The pilot phase will involve leading cultural institutions including Historic England, Imperial War Museums, National Library of Scotland, Natural History Museum and more.

Opportunities for public sector data survey 2026

The Government Digital Service (GDS) would like to hear from businesses, researchers and public bodies about the public sector data needed to grow, innovate and deliver better services. Responses to the survey will directly influence which datasets should be prioritised and made available.

This is a chance to tell GDS: