SAIL Databank recognised with prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize

Population Data Science at Swansea University has been awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in recognition of its world-renowned Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, funded by Health and Care Research Wales.

Healthcare professionals and data scientists carry out robust research using SAIL’s comprehensive data about the Welsh and UK population data to improve public health and wellbeing. SAIL brings together, links and analyses data from multiple sources to deliver population-level insights for governments and policymakers.

In the 15 years since SAIL was founded, its achievements include:

• Providing wide-ranging Covid-19 research and fast-response, data-driven policy intelligence for the Welsh and UK governments;
• Performing as the national data linkage and access system for all public data in Wales, securely curating data from every sector and more than 500 organisations;
• Providing data linkage and banking services for many global initiatives, including shared data from over 30 countries in support of the International Covid-19 Data Alliance initiatives;
• Enhancing the evidence base for policymakers, which helps them to understand the relationships between their service provisions to improve people’s lives.

Director of Health and Care Research Wales, Professor Kieran Walshe, said:

On behalf of Health and Care Research Wales, I am delighted that the work of the SAIL team has been recognised through this prestigious award.  SAIL Databank has received funding from Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales and its predecessor organisations since 2006, and we are proud to be able to provide continued support and partnership for the benefit of researchers all over the UK.”

Co-director of Population Data Science at Swansea University and SAIL Databank, Professor Ronan Lyons said:

I am delighted that the work of the fantastic SAIL team has been recognised in this award. SAIL is truly a team science endeavour in which academia, the NHS, many public sector organisations and members of the public collaborate to study many issues of importance to the Welsh and global populations.”

First awarded in 1994, the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are granted every two years and recognise outstanding work by UK colleges and universities, which demonstrates excellence and innovation and delivers real benefit to the wider world.