Data Action Accelerator

The Data Action Accelerator is a regional collaboration driving faster, deeper, and more impactful digital health innovation across the North West. Funded by the Office for Life Sciences, we work with the NHS, academia, and industry to turn advanced health data science into actionable insights that improve care, reduce inequalities, and strengthen local health economies.

Based within the Civic Health Innovation Labs at the University of Liverpool, the Accelerator connects clinical teams, data scientists, and technology partners to co-develop tools that enable early prevention, join up clinical expertise, and build capacity across the healthcare ecosystem. From developing a skilled analyst workforce to transforming research into real-world solutions, our mission is to help the NHS move from data to action; delivering tangible benefits for patients, communities, and public services.

The Data Action Accelerator (DAA) was established to bridge the gap between health data science research and real-world NHS transformation. Emerging from collaborative work between CHIL at the University of Liverpool and regional partners across NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, the DAA was created to turn insight into impact - building data and digital capability and tools needed to improve population health and system efficiency. 

Local skills applied to tackling global issues

Rooted in the North West’s strong civic health and research ecosystem, the Accelerator brings together analysts, clinicians, academics, and industry partners to address shared challenges through data-driven innovation. Our approach is agile and relationship-driven. Working in partnership with the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB), we identify priority challenges within the health and care system and co-develop digital tools that predict, prevent, and personalise healthcare. Our aims are threefold: 

• Tackle antimicrobial resistance: Leveraging large-scale health and care system data to deploy digital tools that anticipate infection risks, optimise antimicrobial treatment, and personalise care pathways, through our AMR-X programme.

• Accelerate innovation: Transforming health data and research into deployable tools that address real NHS needs

• Build workforce capacity: Equipping analysts, clinicians, and leaders with the skills to translate data into action

• Strengthen regional collaboration: Creating pathways for academic, industry, and NHS partners to work together effectively and ethically. 

In practice, this means developing solutions such as predictive models for prevention, data intelligence to improve medication safety and clinical outcomes, and decision-support systems to improve patient care and resource planning. The DAA also leads the Analyst Training Programme, a flagship initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of NHS data professionals through mentorship, applied learning, and collaborative projects. 

Through these activities, the Data Action Accelerator is building a sustainable innovation ecosystem that uses data not just to measure outcomes, but to shape healthier futures for patients, communities, and the region as a whole. 

Our work

Partnerships and Collaboration 

We work alongside the NHS, academic researchers, and industry innovators to co-develop digital tools that address real-world health challenges. Our partnerships ensure that innovation is grounded in clinical need, ethical data use, and measurable impact.

Research and Innovation Themes 

The Data Action Accelerator works in alignment with the Civic Health Innovation Labs’ (CHIL) research challenges — translating cutting-edge data science into practical solutions for the NHS and wider health ecosystem. Our projects span five interconnected themes that reflect CHIL’s mission to improve health outcomes through civic data, collaboration, and responsible innovation.

Skills and Workforce Development 

Building capacity within the NHS is central to our mission. Through our Analyst Training Programme and collaborative learning initiatives, we equip analysts, clinicians, and system leaders with the technical and interpretive skills needed to harness data effectively and ethically.

Impact and Case Studies 

Working alongside the Data Action Research Team (DART), we deliver tangible outcomes across the North West. Each case study demonstrates how collaboration and data science can improve care, reduce inequalities, and drive system-wide innovation.