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Erica Pufall, Population Health Science Portfolio Adviser Longitudinal Population Studies at the Wellcome Trust Large Longitudinal Studies: design and methodology RSS 26 th October 2017
Erica Pufall, Population Health Science Portfolio Adviser
Longitudinal Population Studies at the WellcomeTrustLarge Longitudinal Studies: design and methodology
RSS 26th October 2017
Longitudinal Population Studies (LPS) StrategyPublished July 2017
Aim: To maximise the value of our long term investments
in large scale LPS and ensure that they are translated into
real health and social benefits.
New funding mechanism to support and fund LPS,
including cohorts, panel surveys and biobanks.
To provide longer-term sustainable funding to existing
studies and fund new studies.
Report available online: https://wellcome.ac.uk/what-we-do/our-work/longitudinal-population-studies
Why?
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1. Wellcome’s reputation for excellence in population health is linked to our
foresight in investing in large (longitudinal) studies.
2. LPS are a critical for health sciences and underpin much of our current
understanding of the impact of interacting socioeconomic, environmental
and biological factors on health.
3. New technologies such as ‘omics’, opportunities for data linkage, and the
need for such studies to be conducted at scale means that we cannot
fund the population studies needed to address the health challenges of
the future on our own or without an underpinning strategy.
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1. They are critical resources for the scientific community
2. £121 million investment in last 10 years in world-leading LPS
3. Opportunity:
• new technologies such as ‘omics
• data linkage
• new and more efficient data collection methods
4. Investments were made through different routes without an overarching
strategy
Why?
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What?• Longitudinal Population Studies in the UK and in LMIC
• cohorts
• biobanks
• demographic surveillance sites
• panel surveys
• networks of studies
• and usually >1,000 participants at baseline
• and require funding for a considerable length of time (>5y)
How?
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• Annual funding committee: apply 6 quality criteria, fund fewer more valuable resources more sustainably
Aim 1: Fund LPS that contribute to improving human health
• Support progress towards shared data resources to make better use of what we have
Aim 2: Encourage integration of LPS data from a variety of sources
• Shared quality criteria, co-ordinate funding decisions, encourage wider reforms
Aim 3: Work in partnership with other funders when appropriate
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• Apply 6 quality criteria, fund fewer more valuable resources more sustainably
Aim 1: Fund LPS that contribute to improving human health
• Support progress towards shared data resources to make better use of what we have
Aim 2: Encourage integration of LS data from a variety of sources
• Shared quality criteria, co-ordinate funding decisions, encourage wider reforms
Aim 3: Work in partnership with other funders when appropriate
1. Unique scientific impact & potential
2. Robust leadership & governance structures
3. Effective recruitment, rigorous data & sample quality
4. Data as accessible as possible
5. Maximised value through linkage with other data sources
6. Meaningful engagement with external stakeholders
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• Support progress towards shared data resources to make better use of what we have
Aim 2: Encourage integration of LPS data from a variety of sources
• Support progress towards shared data resources to make better use of what we have
Aim 2: Encourage integration of LS data from a variety of sources
• Shared quality criteria, co-ordinate funding decisions, encourage wider reforms
Aim 3: Work in partnership with other funders when appropriate
1. How to link data from multiple sources
• new ethical & consent frameworks
• exploiting & extending governance frameworks
2. Driving methodological improvements
• data interoperability
• accessibility
• analysis
How: Grant types
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1. Core support for LPS
• Up to £5 million for 5 years
• Can include research questions but balance is on core costs
• Funding decision based on 6 criteria
2. Enabling structures for LPS
• Not normally expected to be over £1.5 million for up to 5 years
• Ways to improve analysis of complex data
• Regulatory or organisational changes that support data sharing
• Research that explores how multiple datasets can be linked efficiently
• Developing and championing new methods for data interoperability, accessibility
and analysis
• Creating LPS networks
How: Funding call
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Timeline (one call per year)
• Call launched 23rd Oct 2017
• Deadline for preliminary applications 12 Jan 2018
• Funding committee decision mid-July 2018
Contact us
• Strongly encouraged to contact Wellcome before applying. You MUST
contact us if:
• New LPS
• Funding from multiple sources
• More than £5 m for core support grant
• More than £1.5 m for enabling structures grant
(Some of) our previous investments
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