CLOSER, the home of longitudinal research, brings together world-leading longitudinal studies with participants born throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Our work maximises the use, value and impact of longitudinal studies to help improve our understanding of key social and biomedical challenges.

We enable change over time and across generations to be better understood

We bring longitudinal data together in a consistent format – a process known as data harmonisation. This allows researchers to compare data from different studies, providing insights into how and why the UK is changing over time – and what this means for the future. Read more about data harmonisation

We enhance insights through data linkage

We lead research to link data held by government to survey data collected by longitudinal studies across a range of areas, including health, geography and education. Linking this data enables researchers to gain rich insights into how different aspects of people’s lives interrelate. Read more about data linkage

We help researchers find data

Our flagship resource, CLOSER Discovery, enables researchers to search and browse questionnaires and data from the UK’s leading longitudinal studies to find out what data are available in unprecedented detail. Explore CLOSER Discovery

We inspire and equip the next generation of scientists

We provide training and capacity building opportunities for researchers and those running longitudinal studies. Our Learning Hub has information and resources aimed at those in academia, government and the third sector to help them better understand the value of longitudinal research and how to use the data. Read more about the CLOSER Learning Hub and view our latest training events

We support innovative research projects

We support research projects that use longitudinal data to investigate a wide range of areas of interest, including obesity, physical activity, mental health, and social media. Many of the research projects we support are creating harmonised datasets, improving data linkage or developing other resources for the wider longitudinal research community. Read more about the research we support

We maximise the impact of longitudinal research

We work to achieve the greatest possible impact for CLOSER’s outputs and activities, as well as research and evidence from longitudinal studies. We do this by engaging with policy makers, producing longitudinal resources for the academic community and facilitating research that addresses the biomedical, social, economic and environmental policy challenges facing the UK. Read more about how we maximise research impact