The NIHR ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ BRC Data Access and Prioritisation Committee (DAC) reviews applications to access health data within the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Secure Data Environment. This is part of a wider application process, the details of which can be found [here].
The Committee considers whether proposed projects are in the public interest and meet the required information governance, data protection and clinical requirements.
Presenting your project
A representative from your research team will be invited to attend the Committee to present your proposal and answer questions from the panel.
The Committee brings together expertise from information governance, clinical practice, research, ICT and public and patient representatives.
How to prepare
Please prepare a three-minute, lay-friendly summary covering:
- Why the research is important
- What you are trying to find out
- What you hope to achieve
- Why you need access to health data
Please use clear, everyday language and avoid medical abbreviations, technical terms and jargon. Community partners are part of the Committee, so your project should be understandable to someone without a medical or research background.
You do not need to prepare slides.
Public and patient involvement
Community partners are embedded within the DAC, ensuring that the patient and public perspective is part of decisions about access to health data.
Information about our current community partners can be found here
Who is on the Committee?
The Committee is chaired by Sanjay Gautama, ICHT Caldicott Guardian, and Erik Mayer, Transformation Chief Clinical Information Officer. It also includes senior clinicians from ICHT, research leads from ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, representatives from the ICHT Data Protection Office, ICT staff and members of the public.
Upcoming meetings
| Meeting | Meeting date | Application deadline |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | Thursday 20 August | 4pm, Tuesday 4 August |
| September 2026 | Thursday 17 September | 4pm, Monday 31 August |
| October 2026 | Thursday 15 October | 4pm, Tuesday 29 September |
| November 2026 | Thursday 19 November | 4pm, Tuesday 3 November |
| December 2026 | Thursday 17 December | 4pm, Tuesday 1 December |
Applications should be submitted by 4pm on the stated deadline to be considered for that month's meeting.
After the DAC meeting
Shortly after presenting your project, you will receive your application back with comments from the Committee’s lay partners. You will need to revise your application to address their feedback and return it within three working days.
If the revised application is submitted after this deadline, you may need to wait an additional four weeks before it can be reviewed.
Once the Committee’s lay partners are satisfied with the changes, and any additional approvals or sign-offs have been completed, your project will be formally approved.
Feel free to contact us on for queries about the DAC: imperial.dataaccessrequest@nhs.net
Contact us
For general enquiries email: imperial.dcs@nhs.net
For data access enquiries email: imperial.dataaccessrequest@nhs.net