The arrival of HDRS marks a significant addition to the Campus’ growing ecosystem of leading organisations, creating new opportunities for collaboration that will help translate cutting-edge research into transformational health outcomes.

What is HDRS?

HDRS will provide a single, secure gateway to the UK’s health data, enabling approved researchers to access the information they need faster and more safely than ever before.

By joining up data from hospitals, GP records and other sources, it will help uncover patterns and connections that are invisible when data sits in isolation – accelerating new treatments, earlier diagnoses and more effective prevention.

The service has been backed by £600 million of funding from the Government and the Wellcome Trust. HDRS will be developed in partnership with patients, researchers and the public.

Arriving on Campus

On Monday 20 July, the HDRS team, including Chief Executive Dr Melanie Ivarsson OBE, marked their first day on the Wellcome Genome Campus – joining a thriving community spanning genomics, biodata, health data and data science.

The Campus is already home to world-leading organisations including the Wellcome Sanger Institute and EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Genomics England, Illumina, COSMIC Genomics and SciBite.

Locating HDRS at the Wellcome Genome Campus creates a unique environment where discoveries can be cross-referenced against nationwide patient outcomes, bridging the gap between research and clinical medicine.

Expanding for the future

The Campus is currently embarking on the first phase of a major expansion that will see it grow from 125 to 440 acres over the next decade. Backed by the Wellcome Trust, the expansion represents one of Europe’s most significant investments in life sciences and technology infrastructure, creating new opportunities for research, innovation and collaboration across genomics, biodata, health data and AI.

Dr Melanie Ivarsson, CEO, Health Data Research Service, said:

“Establishing HDRS at the Wellcome Genome Campus is an important step in our journey to making the UK a world leader in health data research and delivering vital health outcomes for people. The Campus brings together exceptional expertise in genomics, biodata and health data, creating an environment where we can accelerate research that delivers real benefits for patients, while maintaining the highest standards of data protection and public trust.”

Colette O’Shea, Chief Operating Officer at Wellcome Genome Campus, said:

“The arrival of HDRS is a significant milestone for the Wellcome Genome Campus. With such globally renowned expertise in genomics and biodata already here today, the arrival of HDRS creates enormous opportunity to foster new collaborations and help ensure that cutting-edge research translates into better health for everyone.”