For researchers
The Future Finland birth cohort will include up to 200,000 children born in Finland between 2025 and 2029, along with their families. It will also include families who move to Finland later, if they have children born during those years.
The data collected from this cohort is intended for use by the entire Finnish research community.
The Future Finland birth cohort enables innovative interdisciplinary research designs that produce impactful insights to enhance the well-being of people living in Finland and to inform evidence-based decision-making within the Finnish welfare society.
Data in the Future Finland birth cohort is gathered from multiple sources to create a comprehensive and reliable picture of the well-being of children, young people, and families – and how it evolves over time − in a more comprehensive way than ever before.
By combining information from national registers, surveys, and biological samples, Future Finland enables researchers to explore the many factors that shape health, development, and everyday life across generations.
What will be included in the Future Finland data collection?
The Future Finland data collection will include:
- Register data from national registers on children born in Finland between 2025 and 2029, and their families
- Families who move to Finland later with children born during those years are also included in the cohort.
- Questionnaire data on topics that are not covered by national registers, such as everyday family life, well-being and emotional experiences, parent-child interaction, and personal experiences. In the first phase, questionnaires will be carried out:
- during the early and late stages of pregnancy
- at 4–6 months and 12 months of age.
- Subject to informed consent, blood samples from the pregnant person and the newborn will be utilised for research purposes. These biological samples are collected as part of routine antenatal care and standard clinical procedures during childbirth. In the first phase, the following samples will be collected:
- during pregnancy: 10 ml serum sample and 3 ml whole blood sample during routine blood draws
- umbilical cord blood sample at birth
- newborn routine screening blood sample at 2–5 days of age.
- Additionally, some newborns will undergo a body composition measurement
Data will be collected from multiple sources to create a comprehensive and reliable picture of the well-being of children, young people, and families – and how it evolves over time.
The collection of biological samples and questionnaire data will begin in 2026 within the Uusimaa region and expand nationwide in the subsequent years.
Email: [email protected]
Annamari Lundqvist
project director
tel. +358 29 524 7283
[email protected]
Birgit Simell
project manager
puh. +358 29 524 7735
[email protected]