Ten years of data-driven research culminate in a milestone anniversary and a new identity for a UNB research institute. In this story, we look at how they got to this moment, and what comes next for this team.
More than a decade ago, visionary minds came together to address some of the challenges of public data science in New Brunswick:
How can we use data to inform best practices and policy, and to help our province thrive?
How do we do the best data science research possible, especially when administrative data is spread across various departments and programs?
And, perhaps most importantly, how do we make sure that we are protecting New Brunswickers' rights, privacy and well-being when we use population data?
Their ideas led to the creation of a UNB research institute that has not only provided crucial insights to decision-makers, but has also been a trailblazer whose approaches have been replicated in other jurisdictions.
Just a few weeks ago, the institute unveiled a new identity as DataNB, reflecting the role it has grown into and its vision for the future. For most of its history, however, it has been known by a different name. The institute was officially established 10 years ago as the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT).
In celebration of that anniversary, we're looking back at just a few of the major moments in the institute's history.
NB-IRDT's story starts a few years before its official creation. Two particular events helped set the stage for the future.
2012
First, in 2012, the provincial government amended the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act (PHIPAA) , allowing approved non-governmental organizations to hold, protect and use government data for research.
2013
The next year, UNB secured funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation for the construction of the institute's secure research environment, enabling it to meet the data storage obligations set out by the government.
2014
Construction of the secure facility was complete, and the foundational elements of the not-yet-official NB-IRDT were taking shape.
UNB signed originating, operating, and master data sharing agreements with New Brunswick's Department of Health. These agreements reflected an early trust in the research team by the provincial government and enabled the team to start receiving health data and working with it.
2015
UNB's board of governors formally approved the establishment of NB-IRDT as a research institute. This approval officially brought the institute to life, and it was publicly launched on May 5, 2015.
2016
Now having both the legal authority to handle and use data for research, as well as institutional recognition and support, the institute was quick to explore growth opportunities that would help it do more.
A little over a year after its creation, the institute was awarded $400,000 in funding from the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (now ResearchNB) and AstraZeneca. This marked its first major external project award and demonstrated its ability to secure competitive external funding.
2017
The institute's growth continued not just in funding, but in data access and research. In 2017, the provincial government proclaimed into law An Act Respecting Research (Bill 57).
This bill recognized NB-IRDT's status as a data custodian, enabling multiple government departments to share data across multiple domains with the institute if they so chose.
2018
Two major events in 2018 would help solidify the institute's place in the provincial landscape.
First, UNB signed a memorandum of understanding with the provincial government that confirmed its role as the primary data repository for research in New Brunswick. This MoU reinforced the government's trust in the institute as a research partner and helped ensure its long-term sustainability.
In December of that year, the institute opened satellite locations in Saint John and in Moncton, expanding its presence, perspective and access to data. With the satellite located at the Université de Moncton, the expansion also reflected increased collaboration.
2019
Following 2017's Bill 57, Bill 29 was proclaimed into law in June 2019. The passage of this bill expanded the institute's data access across even more government sectors, reinforcing its role and enabling new exploration and insights in cross-departmental research.
2020
Like most organizations, the team at NB-IRDT needed to quickly adapt to the "unprecedented" times brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like other research teams, they focussed on how they could use their skills to support our communities.
The institute launched a series of Rapid Response Reports, using its data access and research expertise to support time-sensitive government decisions. Its first report was provided to the Department of Health on March 31, 2020 just 12 days after the state of emergency was declared, and only three weeks after the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the province.
2021
As things began to return to some form of normalcy, the institute started exploring new topics of importance to New Brunswick's long-term health and sustainability.
In 2021, the institute published its first Graduate Retention Report. These reports follow N.B. students after graduation, documenting where they lived and worked and filling a major evidence gap for workforce and education planning in the province.
2022
Long-time director Dr. Ted McDonald was honoured with the Donald G. Dennison Award for Public Administration. The award, presented by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada's (IPAC) New Brunswick regional group, recognized the institute's leadership in developing a resource that transformed evidence-based policy in the province.
2023
The Institute began a partnership with, and received funding support from, the McKenna Institute at UNB. This funding supported the development of a data trust model to modernize the institute's data access and expand its data holdings, representing another step towards its future growth.
2024
The institute began researching training, recruitment and retention in regulated occupations in N.B., beginning with nurses and teachers, two occupations facing ongoing staffing shortages. To conduct this research, the institute was granted access to a dataset of occupation-specific employment data a first among Canadian provincial research entities. This new project reflects the institute's continued innovation in data-driven research, and in enabling new ways of understanding labour markets.
2025
Ten years after its launch, NB-IRDT becomes DataNB.
The new identity maintains a connection with its past while emphasizing a renewed focus on improving accessibility, putting the spotlight on the institute's core focus: data from, in, and for New Brunswick.
What comes next?
The simple answer from this powerhouse team is, more: more research, more data, more access, more collaborations and more impact.
More data
Every new dataset increases the potential for discovery either from the dataset itself, or from the ability to connect information across different areas. Over the past 18 months, the institute has added 28 new datasets to its secure holdings.
Expanding on its roots in human health data, these new holdings notably include non-human data, such as water and air quality. The institute plans to expand this type of information through collaborations with the energy, forestry and agricultural sectors.
DataNB is also investigating the potential applications of synthetic data data generated by an algorithm, rather than collected from the world. These datasets would enable researchers to test their queries and methods, and to explore possible insights, before using real data.
More access
With continued advances in data security, the institute has begun exploring ways to support research outside its physical buildings. Starting from a continued, foundational concern for protecting privacy based on the internationally recognized "five safes" model, the institute is examining topics including secure remote access, anonymized open data, and distributed analytics to provide shared insight from data held across Canada.
More collaborations
DataNB continues to expand its network of partners, both internally with other researchers and units at UNB in areas including AI, rehabilitation engineering, population health and more; and externally, by working with research partners, government agencies, Indigenous communities and private sector organizations to access new data and conduct more mutually beneficial research.
More impact
Throughout all its activities, the DataNB team strives to create new knowledge and to make a positive difference to our lives and our world.
In the past 18 months, the institute has launched nearly two dozen new projects and shows no signs of slowing down. These projects aim to improve our healthcare system, to understand and respond to population and immigration dynamics, to evaluate government strategies and programs, and more.
