The €2 million project, involving academic institutions from the UK, Spain, Estonia, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia and Finland, will aim to develop the research design and infrastructure to implement a Europe-wide cohort study.

The subsequent longitudinal study, if funded, will track a set group of children through their first 25 years of life to understand the impact of their living conditions and national policies on their development and wellbeing as they grow up. Data will be released on a periodic basis for use by researchers and policymakers.

Longitudinal surveys routinely inform policy development by showing how the experiences of different cohorts of people vary over their life course.

This would be used to give policymakers and researchers insights into key transitions in children’s lives, including the impact of policies over time, and the ability to make international comparisons on child and youth well-being.