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Data access and sharing

The Million Women Study is publicly and charitably funded and we want the data we collect to be used as widely as possible for health-related research. We welcome applications for open-access sharing with researchers around the world.

We have collected a vast amount of information on women in the study over the past 25 years, and aim to maximise the benefits of investment in time and money from participants, the study team, NHS and research funders.

When the study began in the mid-1990s, data sharing was not seen as a necessary part of medical research. We asked women joining the study for their consent for us to use information from the questionnaires and from their screening and medical records for medical research, but did not ask specifically about sharing data with other researchers. Today data sharing is a necessary and accepted part of medical research, and is encouraged by research funders and ethicists. Our Participant Panel strongly supports the principle of safe data sharing to maximise study benefit. As the study has developed we have kept  participants informed of how their data are used via newsletters and publications which are available on this website.

How we share study data 

Most of our research, and that which others want to do, requires both the information provided on our questionnaires, and the linked follow-up information on health which we receive through the NHS health records. We have recently obtained permission from NHS data providers to share Million Women Study questionnaire data linked to NHS data on health outcomes directly with other researchers. In line with best practice for sharing health-related data, we are working towards providing external researchers with access to data through an accredited Trusted Research Environment (TRE).

Collaborative research projects

We welcome proposals from researchers for collaborative research projects. These collaborations may involve researchers within the Nuffield Department of Population Health or within the wider University of Oxford, or with researchers from other research institutions. We only share data with commercial organisations as part of a formal collaboration where they contribute valuable specialist expertise (eg for blood analysis) and the proposed research is likely to have clear benefits to health and/or social care. 

Any data which are shared as part of a collaboration are only made available to collaborators after removal of all identifiers, and are subject to stringent security requirements and collaborative agreements. 

open access data requests

We also welcome requests to share Million Women Study data with bona fide researchers at other universities, so that they can do analyses themselves in their university. If we approve their proposed study and we are able to share data securely, the project will go ahead. We only share data which have had identifying details removed, and under strict legal agreement between the University of Oxford and the receiving university, to minimise potential security risks.

for researchers

Should you wish to apply for access to the study data, please refer to the data access policy and other resources below:

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