September 2026 release note

New blog published

A new blog, 'Why linking data effectively is crucial for analysing clinical trial outcomes', has been published. The blog discusses findings from new research into the impact of analysing clinical trial data across separate secure environments. It highlights the potential limitations of this approach for some types of analysis, particularly time-to-event outcomes and subgroup analyses, and explains how the NHS Research SDE Network is working to support effective analysis across the Network through the development and expansion of innovative techniques and technologies.

SDE Network Acknowledgements and Publications Policy (SNAPPy)

The NHS Research SDE Network Acknowledgements and Publications Policy (SNAPPy) has been published. The policy provides guidance for researchers and SDE teams on how to acknowledge, credit and track research outputs that use data from, or are facilitated by, the NHS Research SDE Network. It covers outputs including peer-reviewed publications, conference abstracts, presentations, posters, reports and associated media activity.

The policy sets out principles for transparency and public trust, consistent recognition of the Network and contributing SDEs, and fair credit for the work involved in enabling research. It also provides practical guidance and example wording to support researchers in consistently acknowledging the Network and SDEs in publications and other outputs.

Registration Service content updated

The Registration Service content has been updated to provide clearer information about the registration process, eligibility requirements and what registration means for researchers and organisations. The updated content explains what is checked as part of registration, what is assessed separately as part of a data access request, and clarifies that registration does not guarantee access to specific data.

New and expanded guidance covers organisation and individual applications, data security and information governance requirements, organisational vouching of researchers, key contacts and the SDE Network Agreement. The content also provides clearer information about how research project information is made publicly available through individual SDEs.

Supporting researchers through the user journey

We are realigning the site to better support researchers throughout their journey, from browsing and requesting data through to conducting and concluding a research project.

Pages are being redrafted to align with these 4 stages, with additional information being developed and surfaced to help users understand the information and guidance they need at different points in the journey.