The UK government has revealed a package of new Kickstarter projects designed to improve public services by better using public sector data
The new Kickstarter projects aim to reduce bureaucracy, target support more effectively, and explore how artificial intelligence can help solve everyday challenges, from rising energy bills to legal guidance for small businesses.
Five new Kickstarter projects have been launched in partnership with the Government Digital Service and public sector bodies. These projects will test how data held across different departments can be securely connected and analysed, while ensuring privacy and responsible use.
Targeted energy bill support without lengthy applications
One of the Kickstarter projects focuses on improving access to energy bill support. By bringing together data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Work and Pensions, and HM Revenue and Customs, the government aims to identify households most in need more accurately.
This approach could mean eligible households receive help automatically, without having to navigate complex forms or repeated assessments. By linking the organisations that deliver energy support with those that already hold relevant information, the project aims to make support faster, fairer, and easier to access.
Better planning for adult social care
Another key Kickstart project will develop a new Get Adult Social Care Data service in collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care. The service will collect and analyse essential social care data and present it in clear, accessible formats.
The platform is intended to support researchers, local authorities and organisations such as the NHS in planning care services more effectively. By improving how data is shared and understood, the project aims to ensure care is targeted where it is needed most while maintaining strong safeguards for privacy and data protection.
The platform is intended to support researchers, local authorities and organisations such as the NHS in planning care services more effectively. By improving how data
Reducing admin for disabled people and those with long-term conditions
The government is also exploring how better integration between services could reduce the administrative burden faced by disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. One project will test whether sharing information more effectively across services could prevent individuals from having to repeat the same details multiple times.
The aim is to support people to stay in work, return to employment, or play a more active role in their communities, while reducing frustration and unnecessary delays caused by fragmented systems.
Using AI to unlock trusted public data
Several projects will examine how artificial intelligence could improve access to trusted public sector data. This includes work to make authoritative legal data held by the National Archives more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses, helping them navigate issues such as employment law or international procurement.
Another initiative will explore how Met Office weather and climate data can be transformed into formats better suited for AI tools. This could help organisations plan for local conditions, from preparing roads for winter weather to responding to seasonal demand.
Alongside the data projects, the government has confirmed a significant expansion of the UK’s supercomputing capacity. A £16 million investment will increase the AI Research Resource and the University of Cambridge sixfold by spring 2026, alongside a National Compute Resource funded by UK Research and Innovation.
