There will be one national mega-cohort: a unique research infrastructure containing data from nearly half a million Dutch citizens. The Netherlands Cohort Consortium (NCC) strengthens collaboration between Dutch university medical centers (UMCs), the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) is awarding a grant of more than 17 million euros for this initiative.
The Netherlands Twin Register (NTR), affiliated with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, is one of the eleven participating cohorts. Under the leadership of biological psychologists Jenny van Dongen and Meike Bartels, data collection within the NTR will be harmonized with that of the other Dutch cohorts in the NCC. The NTR will make an important contribution to research on causal relationships between health, lifestyle, environment, and aging.
A Mega-Cohort for the Health of the Future
The NCC brings together the strengths of the eleven largest and most comprehensive cohorts in the Netherlands. By integrating them, a single coherent network of research data on health, lifestyle, environment, and aging is created. This places the Netherlands among the international leaders in cohort research.
The consortium focuses on preventing chronic diseases and promoting healthy aging. Within the mega-cohort, research will be conducted on multimorbidity - the occurrence of multiple chronic conditions at once - and on new health threats, such as emerging infectious diseases like the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Joint Investment in the Future of Healthcare
Thanks to this investment, the Netherlands can further strengthen its leading position in epidemiological research. The collaboration enables large-scale studies by combining and analyzing data from various cohorts in a standardized way. This will generate new insights into the causes and mechanisms of diseases, specifically tailored to the Dutch population and healthcare system.
The NCC also provides a sustainable structure for sharing knowledge, data, and expertise among participating institutions. This contributes to a healthier and more resilient society, where diseases can be prevented rather than merely treated.
Netherlands Twin Register
The Netherlands Twin Register has been collecting data for nearly 40 years on the mental and physical health and lifestyle of twins and their family members from across the country.
According to Jenny van Dongen: “This large-scale infrastructure, which unites the strengths of multiple cohorts, makes it possible for data from NTR participants - both past and future - to have an even greater impact than before, because they can be better combined with data collected in other cohorts and databases. Moreover, twin and family data continue to offer unique opportunities to distinguish between the effects of genetic predisposition and environmental exposures.”
About the Netherlands Cohort Consortium (NCC)
The Netherlands Cohort Consortium is a national collaboration among eleven cohorts in the Netherlands, spanning seven universities and university medical centers as well as the RIVM.
The participating cohorts are:
Lifelines, Rotterdam Study (ERGO), Maastricht Study, HELIUS, LASA, EPIC-NL, NEO Study, Netherlands Twin Register, Leiden Longevity Study, Utrecht Health Project, and Doetinchem Cohort Study.
In total, the network includes nearly 500,000 participants and over 50 years of health data. The NCC promotes data sharing according to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and in compliance with the GDPR. This creates an infrastructure that bridges fundamental research, clinical practice, and policy.
The NCC will present the plans and opportunities of the mega-cohort during the NCC Symposium on November 7.