Civic Data Cooperative celebrates five years with Festival of Data

Liverpool City Region’s Civic Data Cooperative is marking five years of using data and research to improve lives across the region, with a three-day Festival of Data planned for February 2026.

Funded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the Civic Data Cooperative was set up in 2020 with the aim of improving public services through better, more ethical use of data, while supporting growth in health technology and digital innovation.

Now based at the Civic Health Innovation Labs at the University of Liverpool, the CDC has spent the past five years building digital systems, supporting research and involving communities in how data is collected, shared and used.

Its work includes developing secure digital infrastructure that supports 20 major public health research projects across the region, including the Children Growing Up in Liverpool study and the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre. These systems improve data security, accessibility and ethical governance, helping research deliver real-world benefits.

Community involvement has been central to the CDC’s approach. Almost 15,000 residents have taken part in CDC-supported events, with initiatives such as residents’ assemblies and public advisory groups helping shape data governance and trust. The CDC also played a key role in securing approval for the region’s NHS Secure Data Environment.

The organisation has also supported practical innovation across local services. Projects linked to children’s services and fire and rescue have improved data quality and service integration, helping teams better target support, including home safety checks to reduce accidental fires.

To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the CDC will host a Festival of Data from Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 February 2026. The event will bring together communities, businesses, researchers and young people to explore creative and practical uses of data across the city region.

The festival will feature three themed days. Thursday focuses on data, art and young people, with more than 200 schoolchildren working alongside artists to create data-inspired artworks. Friday centres on public service transformation, with a full-day conference, workshops and an evening performance titled Cabaret of Dangerous Data Ideas. Saturday will host a family-friendly exhibition with hands-on activities, live demonstrations and interactive workshops.

Professor Iain Buchan, director of the Civic Health Innovation Labs, said the CDC has shown what is possible when communities, researchers and innovators work together, adding that the festival celebrates creativity, collaboration and civic pride as well as technology.

Liverpool City Region cabinet member for innovation, Councillor Liam Robinson, said the CDC has demonstrated how data can improve health, wellbeing and public services while supporting innovation and economic growth, and encouraged people across the region to get involved in the festival.

More information about the Festival of Data, including conference tickets, can be found via the Civic Data Cooperative website.

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