Research Capability Conference

Each year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) organises a wide range of events. These are curated specifically for the research community and bring together researchers, data owners, government representatives and policy makers.

A highlight of the annual calendar is the in‑person Research Capability Conference, which offers attendees the opportunity to hear from distinguished keynote speakers, participate in interactive workshops and talks, and engage in extensive networking with peers across the sector.

On Thursday 4 December 2025, we hosted this year's Research Capability event at the Leonardo Royal Hotel, St Paul's, London. It was a free, in-person gathering where researchers, data owners, government representatives and policy makers celebrated and shared research excellence.

This one-day conference happens each year and is designed to recognise outstanding work carried out in the research community using ONS-owned or managed data. It also raises awareness of how to access our wealth of data and use them through platforms such as the Secure Research Service.

Under the theme "Research for the public good", Research Capability 2025 explored how research can be designed, conducted and applied to benefit the public and improve lives.

Delegates enjoyed the following.

Keynote speaker: Alan Smith OBE, Head of Visual and Data Journalism, Financial Times

Alan Smith leads the Financial Times's newsroom team of data reporters and visual journalists. A data visualisation specialist, his TEDx talk Why You Should Love Statistics was featured on TED.com in 2017.

Alan is the author of How Charts Work, a handbook on designing with data using the Financial Times's principles. He is also Honorary Professor of Practice at University College London's Social Data Institute.

Before he joined the Financial Times, he was head of digital content at the Office for National Statistics where he was awarded an OBE in 2011 for services to official statistics.

Alan shared valuable insights into how data and storytelling can shape public understanding and drive meaningful societal impact. His talk received high praise and sparked extensive discussion during the subsequent networking sessions.

Workshops and networking

A selection of tailored workshops were provided by the ONS, UK Statistics Authority, ADR UK, DARE UK and UPEN alongside opportunities to network with peers and professionals.

It was a very successful and well-attended event, with excellent engagement from the research community.

Research Excellence Awards

As part of the event, we celebrated our Research Excellence Awards 2025, which recognised this year's exceptional and innovative analyses. These awards showcased best practices in research methods and data matching or linking, while promoting greater awareness of the data available, and the public good achieved through statistical research.

Learn more about our Research Capability 2025 event in the Administrative Data Research (ADR) UK blog.

Research Capability 2026

We will keep you updated about Research Capability 2026 through our monthly newsletter and other communications. If you are not on our mailing list, please contact us.

If you have any questions about research events at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), please email srs.engagement.team@ons.gov.uk.