GenV sets new benchmark for inclusive research
20/04/2026
GenV is Australia’s largest and most inclusive research program of children and parents, but what does it take to make it happen? A new cohort profile provides a clear snapshot of of the almost 50,000 children and 74,000 parents who are already involved. This cohort represents around 30 per cent of all eligible births during the two-year birth window, from metropolitan, regional and rural communities, with many cultural and language backgrounds reflected.
The paper shows how the study was designed to reach families across Victoria. Participation was offered through 58 birthing hospitals and in homes, with information available in 26 languages. The approach supported participation across the community to reflect the diversity of Victorians. Recruitment also remains open to families moving to Victoria.
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‘This research demonstrates it’s achievable to build a large, inclusive and multilingual population study at scale…That level of representation is essential for research to produce findings that are relevant, fair and useful for everyone.’
- Dr Libby Hughes, GenV Design Lead
GenV was created to address a long-standing gap in Australia’s research landscape. Until now, there has been no living, population-scale platform able to understand and improve health and wellbeing in real time and across generations. By securely linking participant data, biosamples and existing health and services information, GenV provides a ‘build once, use many times’ platform to support discovery, early intervention and real-world trials.
Professor Melissa Wake, GenV Scientific Director, said the publication marks an important milestone:
‘GenV was designed as long-term research infrastructure… it creates a foundation that researchers can use again and again to improve prediction, prevention and early intervention across childhood and adulthood.’
‘GenV shows that with the right design, implementation, people and partnerships, it’s possible to build research that reflects the whole population and supports better decision making for health, education and social policy.’
- Prof Sharon Goldfeld AM, GenV Deputy Scientific Director and Director of the Centre for Community Child Health
