Collect data and samples

As well as helping you access existing data and samples, we can also help you conduct a wide range of bespoke data and sample collection activities, including whole cohort questionnaire collections, recall-by-genotype substudies, small scale qualitative interview studies and clinic-based biomedical measurements.

We offer the following expertise to support such studies:

• Experienced study managers who provide advice and guidance at all stages of the study lifecycle – design, costing, grant writing, ethical approval, data collection and analysis.
• A well-developed cohort infrastructure – clinical facilities, data collection and management technical support, laboratory storage and sample processing facilities, and an experienced staff.
• An engaged and experienced cohort, used to participating in a range of data collection activity.
• A rich, existing dataset of phenotypic, environmental, genetic and linkage data and samples gathered from different cohort groups over 25 years.
• The ALSPAC Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) provide expert advice to the Executive and Board on clinical matters. In addition, researchers can seek advice from the Clinical Advisory Group on what clinical measures should be included in future data and sample collection sweeps. Members of the Clinical Advisory Group are healthcare professionals with full professional registration in the UK who currently provide patient care alongside their research interests. Please contact alspac-exec@bristol.ac.uk for more information.

If you would like to find out more about collecting new data:

1. Please consult our Current Research page to find out whether the data and samples you require are included in a future study that has already been approved.
   
   
2. Please read our ALSPAC access policy (PDF, 695kB) which describes the process for requesting new data and samples in detail, and outlines the costs associated with doing so.
   
   
3. Please contact alspac-exec@bristol.ac.uk and a member of the team will contact you to discuss your plans in more detail. All new data collection requires approval from the ALSPAC Executive Committee, our participant advisory groups, and either the ALSPAC Law and Ethics Committee or an NHS Research Ethics Committee, depending on the nature of your study.
   
   
4. Please submit your research proposal for consideration by the ALSPAC Executive Committee. For detailed help please see here.

Advice for researchers

We strongly encourage you to seek feedback from the ALSPAC Participant and Public Advisory Panel (APPAP) in person or online on the acceptability of your new data collection proposal well before it is submitted for ethical approval. Please note that in general the ALSPAC ethics committee will not review a proposal for new data and/or sample collection until it has been through APPAP. 

The dates of 2026 APPAP meetings are:

• 25 March 2026
• 27 May 2026
• 29 July 2026
• 23 September 2026
• 25 November 2026

If you would like APPAP to discuss your proposal, please contact us on the email address below and we will let you know when the next slot is available. We would be happy to answer any questions you have about the process.

Please complete the APPAP_Referral_Form (Office document, 32kB) at least 2 weeks before the agreed meeting. The proposal should be written using lay language and well developed but still at the stage where changes can be made. Please contact us for help with developing participant documents such as consent forms and participant information sheets. We have a ‘house-style’ that we encourage you to use. Please use the Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch Kincaid Grade Level scores. Please note you will be asked to provide feedback to APPAP on any changes you make as a result of the meeting and also the final outcome of the study e.g. was it funded.

If you have any queries about APPAP please email us on ALSPAC-PPAP@bristol.ac.uk. 

If you have any questions about collecting new data and samples, please email alspac-exec@bristol.ac.uk.