The BIOMEDASA project
The Biomedical Data Science Accelerator (BIOMEDASA) project is a new initiative aiming to make data science in biomedical research more inclusive, accessible, and impactful.
At the moment, data science as a field is not very diverse.
Fewer than 1 in 4 professionals in the field are women, and Black, African, Caribbean, and Black British communities are also significantly underrepresented. At the same time, much of biomedical research focuses on data collection, with less emphasis on meaningful analysis - limiting its real-world impact.
We believe that diverse, well-supported teams are essential for better, smarter science. BIOMEDASA, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), is a two-year project (January 2025 – January 2027) working to build a stronger, more representative data science community.
Our Five Project Pillars
Want to know more about the specific work that goes into each of our project pillars?
Enhance
We’ll embed Research Training Professionals (RTPs) into NHS clinical teams, helping bridge the gap between data and care.
Nurture
We’re creating short, accessible training sessions and events, to help people with little or no background in data science gain practical skills and confidence.
Analyse
By reviewing Biomedical data science MSc programmes across the UK, we’ll investigate both barriers and opportunities in accessing further education.
Reskill
For those seeking to switch careers and retrain in data science, we’ll offer mentorship opportunities and training bursaries, to better help retrain them.
Inspire
We’ll promote data science careers to secondary school students, though hands-on and interactive programming workshops.