The ALSPAC project is already one of 100 studies in the IALSA Network (Integrative Analysis of Longitudinal Studies of Ageing) and key scientific information about the design and evolution of ALSPAC is therefore made publically available via the website of the Maelstrom Research Group, based at McGill University in Montreal, Canada (www.maelstrom-research.org). This is because IALSA has elected to make basic information about all studies in its network available via Maelstrom Research. A/Prof Isabel Fortier (co-applicant 1 on this application) is Principal Investigator of Maelstrom Research Group and Prof Paul Burton (Principal applicant on this application) is a member of the Maelstrom research group.

As well has lodging basic information about their studies, 44 of the 100 projects in IALSA have also lodged detailed metadata about the variables in their questionnaires on the Maelstrom website. This makes it easier for scientists who may wish to make use of these studies to identify precisely what variables may be obtained from which data collection sweeps. Because the funding flow to Maelstrom has proven to be particularly successful recently, the project is currently able to invest more staff and resources than usual on adding the detailed information representing the complete questionnaire metadata on a number of additional studies. ALSPAC has been given the opportunity to be treated as a priority in this regard, and this proposal represents the formal application to enable this to happen.