Generation New Era
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Generation New Era
IRAS ID
353732
Contact name
Lisa Calderwood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2025/01/89 social research, UCL Data Protection Office registration
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Generation New Era (GNE) will be a new national birth cohort study for the UK, the first of its kind in over 20 years. It will collect rich data on a new generation of babies, born across the UK in the year 2026, capturing the economic and social environments into which these babies are born, and their health, well-being and development. Proof of concept for Generation New Era was provided through the successful implementation of the Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study (ELC-FS) (IRAS 299895), which in 2023/24 recruited and interviewed 1,915 families with babies across the UK.
Data collection for Generation New Era will begin when the baby is around 10 months old. Babies will be sampled from birth registrations and/or health records held by statistical agencies. The proposed sample design covers one year of births and includes young parent and low- income boosts in all four countries, country boosts in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and ethnic boosts where feasible, allowing robust estimates of outcomes in these key groups. Data collection will cover a range of core topics and will comprise a range of informants (both mothers and fathers/other parents, including parents living in a different household to the child), and modes of data collection and will include the collection of biosamples and use of biomeasures.
This application seeks ethical approval for the first sweep of the study, which will take place when the infants are approximately 10 months of age. As the preparation for Sweep 1 of the study develops further, a substantial amendment will be submitted to cover any changes or further details (although information about the design of data collection, where finalised already, is included in this application).
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0253
Date of REC Opinion
30 May 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion