Preparing for the future: tackling the key challenges facing the UK’s longitudinal population studies

About the conference

The UK’s longitudinal population studies currently face a number of challenging issues ranging from data collection and data access, to how to best demonstrate research impact and engage effectively with policy makers. With a strong focus on problem solving, this event aimed to identify the best ways to tackle these key challenges.

With a packed agenda informed by the results of a consultation exercise with the UK’s longitudinal studies, each session involved group discussions and the chance for delegates to share their own experiences, as well as help identify potential solutions to the issues raised.

The conference focused on the following areas:

• Improving access to administrative/linkage data
• Improving engagement with policy makers
• Integrating new forms of data collection
• Future directions in cross-study harmonisation
• Demonstrating the impact of longitudinal studies
• Developing an overarching longitudinal biosample strategy

Conference report

The conference report documents the day’s discussions, and the actions proposed by delegates to address key challenges, and fill knowledge and skills gaps. The Executive Summary provides an overview of the key points raised.

• Conference report: Preparing for the future: Tackling the key challenges facing the UK’s longitudinal population studies (PDF)
• Executive summary (PDF)

Programme

Each session began with a short introduction from the session lead, followed by a chance to breakout into smaller groups to discuss the topic and share experiences with the aim of finding solutions to key challenges.

10:00 Registration and refreshments

10:30 Welcome to the conference
Professor Alison Park, CLOSER

10:35 Funders perspectives on future priorities for longitudinal population studies
Erica Pufall from the Wellcome Trust, Bridget Taylor from the ESRC, and Gavin Malloch from the MRC

10:45 Improving access to administrative/linkage data
Session lead: Professor Alissa Goodman, Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Institute of Education

11:45 Short refreshment break

11:55 Improving engagement with policy makers
Session lead: Dr Grant Hill-Cawthorne, Head of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)

12:55 Lunch

13:55 Parallel session:

• Integrating new forms of data collection (main conference area)
  Session co-leads: Professor Annette Jäckle, Associate Director of Innovations for Understanding Society at the University of Essex, and Dr Andy Skinner, UKRI Innovation Fellow
• Future directions in cross-study harmonisation (breakout area)
  Session lead: Professor Rebecca Hardy, MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL

14:55 Short refreshment break

15:05 Parallel session:

• Demonstrating the impact of longitudinal studies (main conference area)
  Session lead: Professor Anna Vignoles, University of Cambridge
• Developing an overarching longitudinal biosample strategy (breakout area)
  Session lead: Professor Nish Chaturvedi, MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL

16:05 Feedback and final reflections

16:30 Conference ends