Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study (ELC-FS)

The Policy Evaluation and Research Unit is part of a UK wide consortium which will test innovative approaches to a major new UK-wide study that will follow babies born in the 2020s over many decades to understand how societal circumstances and events affect them.

This study will develop and test the design, methodology and viability of a full-scale Early Life Cohort Study that is likely to follow participants for more than 70 years, starting from 2024.

Co-director of the study and director of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Professor Alissa Goodman, said:

“This feasibility study will provide vital information about babies being born across the UK, at a critical time for our society and economy, providing new evidence on the factors that affect development in the first year of life.”

“We are looking forward to playing our part in strengthening the UK’s reputation as world leaders in running birth cohort studies.”

Project team member Professor Gary Pollock from the Policy Evaluation and Research Unit at Manchester Metropolitan said:

“We are excited to be working with the Centre for Longitudinal Studies on the Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study and are looking forward to exploring ways to facilitate comparisons with international cohort studies through our Growing Up In Digital Europe and COORDINATE projects.”