New volunteer data added to our researcher database
This week, we added new volunteer data into our resource, which means health researchers can now study information from almost 2 million people.
Every three months, we release new data into our trusted research environment (TRE) – a secure computing environment in which registered researchers can conduct approved studies.
The data is the health information that volunteers share when they join Our Future Health.
To date, over 2.5m people have consented to join our programme. The number rises every day.
In a nutshell
Here’s a snapshot of the types of data in our TRE, and the number of volunteers for each category, as of 18 September 2025:
| Data type | Number of volunteers in our TRE |
| Answers to our health and lifestyle questionnaire | 1,900,495 |
| Genetic data | 650,870 |
| Clinic measurements | 1,433,275 |
| Linked health records | 1,648,662 |
This is the 12th data release since we began adding data to our TRE in January 2023. In the graph at the top of this page, you can see how our resource for researchers continues to grow over time.
Two new data sets added to our TRE
Two new data sets have been added as part of the current release.
For the first time, our TRE now contains country and region data for 102,103 volunteers within our cohort. The information will help researchers who study our data to understand more about the ways location can affect health.
We have also added extended emergency care data for 950,974 volunteers into our TRE. The data comes from records from the NHS England Emergency Care Dataset.
What this new release means
“This data release demonstrates the continued growth of the UK’s largest health research programme, with almost 2 million participants now contributing their data,” says Dr Ben Cairns, Director of Science and Biostatistics at Our Future Health.
“For the first time, participant records from the NHS England Emergency Care Dataset are included, which adds accident and emergency data for England, as well as new geographical information by country and region.
“These additions create new opportunities for researchers to explore differences in health across populations in the UK, and enhance the richness and utility of the data for making discoveries – translating them into better health outcomes for everyone.”
Coming next
The next data release is planned for December 2025. Imputed genetic data and additional geographic data – including Lower layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) and Middle layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) – are due to make up part of this release.
Live studies in our TRE
Our volunteers’ data is already being used by health researchers find new ways to prevent, detect and treat diseases.
You can read more about this in the following features:
- Dr Mahantesh Biradar: What it’s like to be an Our Future Health researcher
- Hannah Nicholls: ‘Our Future Health will help us to better understand the genetics of cardiovascular diseases’
To see a full list of approved studies that are analysing Our Future Health’s data, visit the Health Data Research Gateway.
Let’s prevent disease together
By volunteering for Our Future Health, you can help health researchers discover new ways to prevent, detect and treat common conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s.