This note provides a summary of discussions at a workshop, held on 6 February 2023, exploring the scientific research implications of the United Kingdom diverging from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The workshop was hosted by the Royal Society and chaired by Sir Nigel Shadbolt FREng FRS.
The workshop convened scientific researchers; data protection experts; industry representatives; and privacy campaigners to explore the implications for scientific research and innovation of replacing the current UK GDPR with a new data protection regime. Participants were asked to consider the risk of losing adequacy with the European Union, the potential changes to the definition of scientific research, and how GDPR could be improved to better support scientific research.