Researchers from Northwestern and other local institutions are breathing new life into confidential census data at a new top-security research center.

The Chicago Research Data Center, sponsored in part by NU’s Institute for Policy Research, provides qualified researchers with restricted access to highly detailed but sensitive census data.

“NU researchers can do more and better research with new data sources,” said Prof. Fay Lomax Cook, the institute’s director. “It’s a wonderful training opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students.”

Established in mid-December, the $1.3 million facility is the most recent of eight research data centers established throughout the United States.

The center houses confidential data that officials call “microdata” — a wide variety of information relevant to social sciences that could be traced to individuals or businesses.

The data allows researchers to examine trends and relationships in specific localities, said Bhash Mazumder, the Chicago center’s executive director.

One project is examining if a correlation exists between geographic location and the quality of health insurance coverage employers offer, he said.

NU is funding the center with Chicago’s Federal Reserve Bank, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory.

A $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation also will fund the center over the next three years. After that time, officials expect the center will support itself.

Joseph Altonji, former associate director of NU’s Institute for Policy Research, said the center was born out of mutual interest between the Census Bureau, the NSF and local research institutions.

“There are a lot of strong researchers in the Chicago area,” Altonji said. “(The center) is a kind of meeting ground for social scientists.”

Security requirements prolonged the center’s planning for two years, Cook said. The Census Bureau agreed to supply the data only if it would be in a secure location.

Security is important because researchers have access to census records related to individual people and businesses — information U.S. law says must remain private.

Researchers must undergo background checks and obtain special sworn status with the Census Bureau.

Research proposals are evaluated to ensure they have scientific merit and feasibility, that they benefit the Census Bureau by providing feedback to improve its data collection programs and preserve confidentiality by providing generally broad, model-based results.

So far, 11 proposals have passed the test. Mazumder expects 25 to 30 projects at a time to be active as the center grows. Current projects should yield results within a few years.