The UK Clinical Cohorts (UK CliC) Trusted Research Environment (TRE) provides a secure platform with strict governance for the analysis of UK cardiovascular cohort data. Developed in partnership with Swansea University’s SAIL Databank, the UK CliC TRE enables the secure linkage of cohort datasets with routinely collected NHS data, supporting high-quality research in the public interest.
Purpose and scope
The UK CliC TRE has been established to maximise the scientific and public health benefits of existing cardiovascular cohorts by:
- Providing access to cohort data in a secure environment.
- Facilitating linkage with routinely collected health records.
- Enabling research that advances the understanding, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Governance and access
Access to the UK CliC TRE is available to approved and accredited researchers with projects that demonstrate clear public benefit. Applications are considered by the SAIL Information Governance Review Panel (IGRP), which includes patient and public representatives.
All processes are underpinned by the Five Safes Framework:
- Safe People – only approved researchers are granted access.
- Safe Projects – proposals are reviewed for scientific merit and public benefit.
- Safe Settings – data are accessed only within the secure SAIL infrastructure.
- Safe Data – datasets are de-identified and curated for research use.
- Safe Outputs – all results undergo disclosure control prior to release.
Data security and assurance
The UK CliC TRE is hosted by SAIL Databank, which is ISO 27001 certified and accredited by the UK Statistics Authority as a Trusted Research Environment. No data will leave the TRE – researchers work remotely within a secure platform equipped with a suite of analytic tools.
Transparency and public involvement
Patient and public involvement is embedded throughout the governance structure. This ensures that access decisions, research priorities, and data use reflect the public interest.
Further information
Whole Population Data
We aim to improve access to and use of high-quality, linked health datasets covering entire populations across the UK.
Defining Disease
To drive large-scale, data-driven research, we’re working to develop and share reusable definitions of cardiovascular diseases in computable forms. These definitions enable researchers to interpret and use health data, leading to more accurate and reproducible studies.
Data Enabled Clinical Trials
By integrating routinely collected NHS health data into clinical trials, we’re helping researchers recruit participants more effectively, reduce administrative burdens, and generate real-world evidence that can lead to quicker, more impactful advances in cardiovascular care.
Imaging
Cardiovascular imaging research has the potential to transform disease diagnosis, risk assessment, and treatment. This area aims to improve access to imaging data linked to health-relevant datasets across the UK, enabling innovative research and improving patient outcomes.
Smartphones and Wearables
We’re working to unlock the potential of smartphone and wearable data to discover new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cardiovascular disease, by establishing secure access to and fair use of smartphone and wearable data linked to healthcare records.
CVD-COVID-UK / COVID-IMPACT
CVD-COVID-UK/COVID-IMPACT is a major research programme coordinated by the BHF Data Science Centre, bringing together a consortium of over 400 researchers across more than 50 organisations. The programme enables analysis of anonymised, linked, nationally collated healthcare datasets across the UK to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease, as well as its impact on other health conditions and risk factors.
Diabetes Data Science Catalyst
This exciting partnership between the BHF Data Science Centre, Diabetes UK and HDR UK aims to develop improvements in our understanding of the link between cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Stroke Data Science Catalyst
A partnership between the BHF Data Science Centre, the Stroke Association, and HDR UK, using data to drive research into stroke prevention, treatments, and care.
Kidney Data Science Catalyst
This partnership between the BHF Data Science Centre, Kidney Research UK and HDR UK will enable researchers to securely access, link and analyse existing UK health data, speeding up the search for better kidney and cardiovascular disease prevention, treatments, and care.