A landmark UK research project will soon begin charting the lives of thousands of babies, offering unprecedented insights into early childhood and shaping policies for generations to come.
The £42.8m Generation New Era birth cohort study will recruit families from the summer of 2026. It is the first UK-wide longitudinal birth cohort in a quarter of a century, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Its launch coincides with the government’s new policy paper “Giving every child the best start in life.”
Commenting on the initiative, UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “This first in a generation study will help us understand what childhood is like in 21st century Britain.
“The results will help us focus on the best interests of newborns across the UK as we deliver our Plan for Change, breaking down the barriers to opportunities by revamping our education systems, healthcare facilities, and more.”
Continuing the UK’s birth cohort tradition
The UK has long been a world leader in birth cohort research.
Since the 1946 National Survey of Health and Development, successive studies have followed tens of thousands of participants, tracking how childhood experiences shape lives. These projects have had profound effects on public health, education, and social policy.
Past findings include evidence linking maternal smoking to poor birth outcomes, which contributed to a two-thirds reduction in smoking during pregnancy.
Research on infant sleep positions helped prevent more than 100,000 cot deaths worldwide, while data on early education and literacy paved the way for national initiatives that raised adult literacy rates by 13%.
By building on this legacy, Generation New Era aims to provide the kind of robust, long-term evidence that has changed lives for decades.
What makes Generation New Era different
Led by Professors Alissa Goodman and Lisa Calderwood at University College London (UCL), alongside Professor Pasco Fearon at the University of Cambridge, the study will focus on two key moments in children’s early development: when they are nine to eleven months old, and again at three to four years, just before school entry.
Unlike previous projects, Generation New Era will adopt a truly four-nations perspective. It will involve researchers from Swansea University, Ulster University, and the University of Edinburgh, and will deliberately expand recruitment to include families from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as ethnic minority and low-income communities.
Fathers will also be a priority group for engagement, helping to capture a more complete picture of modern family life.
In total, more than 60,000 families will be invited to take part, with 30,000 expected to join. The long-term ambition is to follow participants throughout their lives, creating a resource that reflects the diversity and complexity of childhood in the 2020s.
Goodman added: “We are extremely excited and immensely proud to announce the launch of the first new UK-wide birth cohort in a quarter of a century. Generation New Era is a landmark scientific endeavour that will improve the lives of children and benefit science and society for many years to come.
“In such a rapidly changing world, it is vital to have rich data on the lives of children and families, especially those from disadvantaged and less often heard groups.
“Standing on the shoulders of the UK’s famous birth cohort studies, which have tracked multiple generations of people over the past eight decades, Generation New Era will aim to shine a light on the biggest challenges facing our society today.”
Shaping policy and practice
One of the most significant impacts of this new birth cohort will be on government policymaking.
By offering contemporary evidence about children’s health, development, and family circumstances, Generation New Era will give decision-makers a strong foundation for reform.
The study’s findings will help identify which interventions are most effective in supporting children before school, shed light on the challenges faced by underrepresented groups, and provide a mechanism for evaluating early years programmes.
Importantly, the inclusive design will ensure that policymakers are not only looking at averages, but also at the lived realities of families from very different backgrounds.
Engagement with parents, researchers, and stakeholders is due to begin in autumn 2025. This consultation will shape the study’s questionnaires and methods, ensuring they are relevant and sensitive to families’ experiences.
Lessons from previous generations
Earlier UK birth cohort studies show the value of long-term investment in childhood research.
The Millennium Cohort Study, for instance, revealed that one in four girls displayed symptoms of depression by age 14, a finding that spurred the development of new government mental health strategies.
Other research highlighted the educational disadvantage of summer-born children and the long-term risks linked to childhood obesity, leading to policy changes in schools and health services.
Family policy has also been reshaped thanks to cohort evidence. The introduction of paid paternity leave, adoption leave, extended maternity leave, and the right to request flexible working all stemmed from data showing the benefits of greater parental involvement in children’s early years.
Investing in the future
Generation New Era represents a major national effort to understand how children grow and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
With its ambitious scale, inclusive design, and long-term vision, the study promises to deliver evidence that will shape education, healthcare, and social policy for decades.
This is more than just a research project. It is a generational investment – one that will help ensure every child in the UK has the best possible start in life.
