Cross-cutting theme 1: Big Data and Computing innovation

The emergence of new digital technologies is allowing huge quantities of information on health exposures and outcomes to be captured, stored, and analysed using advanced statistical techniques. ‘Big Data’ will provide new ways to conduct research and offers the potential of a dramatic increase in the scale and efficiency of clinical studies. This pioneering programme of work within PHRU aims to harness Big Data methodology to facilitate large-scale epidemiological studies and improve the efficiency of randomised trials by identifying barriers to their efficient conduct. This work is supported by a computing team that produces and maintains systems designed to meet the specific requirements of our new and on-going studies, and to ensure that they are sufficiently adaptable to provide a platform for future work. Our systems focus on aspects that are key to study quality: recruitment of large numbers of eligible participants; data collection and study conduct; study management, coordination and oversight; laboratory management including analysis and storage; ascertainment, confirmation and classification of outcome; and analysis, reporting and dissemination.