How to access : What you will need

Overview

The skills you will need and steps you should follow to become an accredited researcher.

What accreditation means

Being accredited means that you can work with secure data in a safe setting. It allows you to carry out analysis and produce outputs in a secure research environment. This is also known as a Trusted Research Environment (TRE).

Become an accredited researcher

There are two types of researcher accreditation, full and provisional.

You can apply through the Research Accreditation Service (RAS) (opens in a new tab)

Currently we estimate that the researcher accreditation process may take three to five weeks.

Full accredited researcher

To become fully accredited (for five years), you must meet one of the following requirements:

be badged in a government analytical profession
have a relevant undergraduate degree (or higher), including a significant proportion of maths or statistics
have at least three years of quantitative research experience

Provisional accredited researcher

If you do not meet the requirements to be fully accredited, you can become a provisional researcher (for three years).

You will need a fully accredited researcher from your organisation to supervise your project(s).

Your supervisor must agree that they:

work for the same organisation as you
will work on all your research projects
will direct and take responsibility for work undertaken by you when working on research projects
will be held responsible if you breach your accredited researcher access declaration

Your chosen supervisor must accept for your application to be successful, so we recommend discussing their responsibilities with them before applying. They will also need to be registered with the Integrated Data Service (IDS) Hub.

Additional requirements

To apply for either full or provisional researcher accreditation, you must agree to Part 2 of the Research Code of Practice and Accreditation Criteria (opens in a new tab)

By doing so you are committing to protecting and maintaining the confidentiality of data.

It is also a Digital Economy Act (DEA) 2017 requirement to publish your details in the UK Statistics Authority Public Register (opens in a new tab)

If you want to be excluded from the public register, you must provide a reason to the UK Statistics Authority. This will delay your accreditation.

If you have any questions about the application process, email IDS.customer.support@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Training and assessment requirements

To apply for either full or provisional researcher accreditation, you must:

complete a recognised Safe Researcher Training (SRT) course
pass an assessment after completing that training course
pass an ID check

The training course will:

cover data security and personal responsibility, including legal and procedural breaches and penalties
introduce a framework for data access (the Five Safes)
explain the theory behind Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC), how to make outputs safe for release and the principles used

You can complete a free training course and assessment with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) or arrange your own with another provider.

Training with the ONS

You can book a place on the ONS’s free training course and assessment by registering for an account with the Research Accreditation Service (RAS) (opens in a new tab)

We will automatically update your record to show you have completed your assessment.

If you completed your assessment and your record has not updated, email evidence of your assessment to IDS.customer.support@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Training with another provider

If you have arranged your own training and assessment with another provider, we will need evidence of:

the provider you used
the date you completed training
the date you passed your assessment
any supporting documentation

You can send this to us by email at IDS.customer.support@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

View our list of Trusted Research Environment (TRE) training and assessment providers.

Register with the Research Accreditation Service (RAS)

To become an accredited researcher, you must complete an application on the Research Accreditation Service (RAS) website (opens in a new tab)

On the login page, select “Don’t have an account? Register here” and you will be able to create an account. Enter your:

organisation
work address
name
date of birth
email address
phone number

Continue to the summary page and agree to the terms and conditions.

Select “Create account”. Your account will be created but you will be logged out.

You will receive an email from noreply@rasmail.ons.gov.uk with a link to verify your email address and activate your account.

Skills needed to work on an Integrated Data Service (IDS) project

To work with data in the Integrated Data Service (IDS) you will need to use open-source programming languages.

IDS uses BigQuery to run Structured Query Language (SQL) and Vertex AI Notebooks that run Python and R. These notebooks are based on open-source Jupyter notebooks.

You should be comfortable with using these to:

import and export data
manipulate data
perform analysis using code
create basic data visualisations

If you are new to using Python and R, the following resources are available:

Further guidance on modelling techniques is available in the Government Analysis Function quality assurance for coding in analysis or research (QACAR) guidance (opens in a new tab)

The service also uses GitHub for version control and to enable better collaboration.

As the IDS evolves and responds to the needs of our users, we may introduce new tools to help analysts and researchers work with their data efficiently.

Email the IDS Customer Support team for more information at IDS.customer.support@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Cookies on ons.gov.uk