About the conference

For 80 years, the UK’s cohort studies have tracked generations of Britons, providing invaluable evidence on how our early lives continue to shape us as we grow up, and grow old.

The CLS Conference 2026 will bring together researchers from across disciplines, sectors and career stages to showcase outstanding life course research using cohort data. It is an opportunity to hear about the latest findings from the cohorts, share learning with colleagues, and network with fellow data users. The conference is also a chance to meet the staff running the studies, and give your input on the work of CLS and future direction of the cohorts.

The call for papers is now open for the CLS Conference 2026.

We encourage anyone using CLS cohort data to submit so we can showcase the breadth of high-quality research made possible by cohort data. Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, 8 April 2026 at 23:59. Please see the guidelines and online submission form below.

Submission criteria

We strongly encourage submissions from any researchers using CLS cohort data, across disciplines, career stages, sectors and geographic regions. Submissions must meet the three key criteria listed below.

1. Submissions must use data from at least one CLS cohort study.

Submissions that use CLS data alongside other data sources are welcome. CLS cohort studies include:

• • • 1946 National Survey of Health and Development
    • 1958 National Child Development Study
    • 1970 British Cohort Study
    • Next Steps
    • Millennium Cohort Study
    • COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities Study
    • Children of the 2020s
    • Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study.

2. Submissions must fit at least one of the conference themes:

• • • ageing
    • child development
    • cognition
    • families
    • labour markets and skills
    • mental health
    • physical health
    • poverty, disadvantage and social mobility
    • statistical and survey methods.

3. Submissions must use robust methods and be of a good scientific standard.

In addition, submissions featuring any of the following are particularly encouraged:

• • longitudinal analysis
  • use of the most recent data releases from the CLS cohorts: NCDS Age 62 Sweep, BCS70 Age 51 Sweep, Next Steps Age 32 Sweep, MCS Age 23 Sweep (forthcoming early 2026)
  • comparisons of multiple CLS cohorts
  • use of CLS’s harmonised datasets: harmonised fertility histories, harmonised data on diabetes, or harmonised data on asthma.
  • use of linked administrative or geospatial data, or other novel data
  • use of CLS genetic data, including polygenic scores.

Submission types

You can submit an abstract for a:

• • single paper
  • poster
  • symposium of 3-4 papers from different speakers that you will chair.

We will make every effort to respect authors’ preferences on submission type. However, submissions for single papers may be allocated a poster slot or added to a relevant symposium in order for us to accommodate as many good quality submissions as possible into the programme.

What to include in your submission

Please complete the online submission form.

Some fields on the online form contain character limits, as indicated below. You do not need to use the full character limit provided.

All submissions

• • Your name (as you would like it to appear in the conference programme)
  • Your email address
  • Your institution/organisation (as you would like it to appear in the conference programme)
  • CLS cohort study used (tick all that apply)
  • Relevant conference themes (tick all that apply)
  • Submission type (single paper/presentation, symposium, poster)

Single paper/presentation or poster

• • Presentation title (max. 200 characters with spaces)
  • Short abstract (max. 900 characters with spaces)
  • Extended abstract (max. 5,000 characters with spaces)*
  • Names and affiliations of any additional speakers or co-authors

* The extended abstract will be the main information reviewed by the Programme Committee. It should cover:

• • objectives/research questions
  • data
  • methodology
  • (preliminary) results.

Symposium

• • Symposium title (max. 200 characters with spaces)
  • Speaker details (minimum 3 speakers and up to 4 speakers)
  • Individual presentation abstracts (max. 1,300 charcters with spaces)**

** Individual presentation abstracts will be the main information reviewed by the Programme Committee. Each abstract should cover:

• • relevance to the symposium topic
  • brief description of data and methodology
  • (preliminary) results.

Limit of two submissions

You can make up to two submissions:

• • If you are proposing a symposium for which you are one of the named speakers, this will count as one submission.
  • If you have already made two submissions, you cannot be included as a named speaker in another person’s symposium.

Terms and conditions

By submitting to the conference, you agree to abide by CLS’s terms and conditions for conference submissions.