Learn about GenV: your opportunity to create a healthier future GenV is a research project built by Victorian families for all families. If you join, you will contribute to healthier children, parents, and families in the future.
Improving care and development through world-class research GenV will work in partnership with Victoria’s health organisations to collect data that will enhance researchers' capacity to understand patient outcomes.
Comprehensive research for precision policy and service delivery GenV aims to transform how we conduct research into health and wellbeing, establishing the foundations for new approaches to data-led policy and strategy development, and the strengthening of service delivery.
Our achievements, partners and key people Learn more about GenV’s collaborative partnerships with leading universities, institutes, and service providers, and meet the people who help to bring our exciting vision to life.
Home\About GenV Home About GenV About GenV GenV is a research initiative designed to advance health and wellbeing in smarter and faster ways. GenV is a research program designed to transform health and wellbeing in smarter and faster ways. GenV is designed to answer multiple questions about preterm birth, anxiety, obesity, learning, allergies and more. GenV grew from a ‘Big Idea’ that a large whole-of-state research project could speed up answers to the major issues facing children and adults today and in the future. GenV is open to all children born between 4 October 2021 and 3 October 2023, and their parents who are living in Victoria. GenV is led from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute at The Royal Children’s Hospital, supported by the University of Melbourne, and funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF), the Victorian Government, and Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. It collaborates with universities, institutes, hospitals and services across Victoria, and seeks input from parents, communities and organisations at every step. GenV is made possible by world-leading people and organisations Our team Careers at GenV Supporters and partners Research student placements Here's a snapshot of what we've already achieved 2023 NEWBORN RECRUITMENT ENDS – GENV’S DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN By October 2023, GenV includes nearly 120,000 participants (45,000 families) who represent all of Victoria. Children born Oct 2021-Oct 2023 can join any time in the future with their parents – just go to genv.org.au/contact/ WORLD FIRST BREAST MILK AND MICROBIOME COLLECTION The GenV Breast Milk Collection is one of the largest in the world. It will help understand why some women have low milk supply, how we can help, and how breast milk can help improve babies’ health. 2022 COLLABORATORS SEIZE THE GenV OPPORTUNITY FOR POPULATION-SCALE RESEARCH 16 studies are working with GenV on research at a scale only possible with GenV. Novel future screens and diagnostics will benefit future babies with problems like newborn infections, genetic syndromes and hip dysplasia. GENV CELEBRATES ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH 60,000 BABIES, PARENTS AND GUARDIANS MCRI delivers a major recruitment milestone – with nearly 60,000 participants, Generation Victoria is already Australia’s largest-ever birth and parent cohort study. 2021 Victorian budget invests in the health of Generation Victoria MCRI welcomes the additional investment from the Victorian Government of $14 million AUD to support the GenV program. GenV starts statewide scale-up and begins launching at more hospitals Following on from the successful launch at Joan Kirner’s Women’s and Children’s in December 2020, GenV begins launching at more hospitals across Victoria starting in May. The program welcomes its 1,000th GenV baby in early June. 2020 GenV officially commences at first hospital site GenV commences at Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at Sunshine Hospital in December. The program welcomes its first babies and parents to the GenV family. It will allow our world-leading researchers to break new ground and make discoveries that will improve the quality of life for Victorians in every corner of the state. Jaala Pulford Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy biobank commences operations at melbourne children’s campus GenV’s fully automated biobank – the biggest of its type in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the world’s biggest pregnancy and childhood biobanks – commences operating in September at the Melbourne Children’s Campus. The biobank will store millions of samples and transform the way samples are stored and accessed for future analysis. 2019 Building a GenV that works for families In 2019 GenV conducts focus groups, an on-line parent panel, and The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Child Health ‘pilot’ Poll, working with over 500 new and expecting families over the year. The findings help improve our processes and make it easier for families to join and be a part of GenV. GENV SECURES Additional funding for the next phase of THE PROGRAM In May, the Victorian Government State Budget includes a confirmed $14m for the GenV Cohort. 2018 a prototype GenV data repository In September, GenV successfully builds a prototype Data Repository that includes accurately and safely linking existing research datasets to existing administrative data. We're so pleased to provide this support to Victoria's best and brightest medical minds, as they make the discoveries that will change the lives of young people in our state and all over the world. Daniel Andrews Victorian Premier 2017 Key funding partnership announced with the Paul Ramsay Foundation In May, the Paul Ramsay Foundation announces foundation funding of $24.5 million to make GenV a reality. Find out about GenV’s partners. We're partnering with GenV to give future researchers a platform and the infrastructure they need to base their research. This means studies will be completed faster and with less cost, translating to better preventions and treatments for all Australians. Simon Freeman Former PRF CEO Victorian Government supports the initial rollout of GenV In June, the Victorian Government provides $2m in seed funding to develop the GenV Cohort. Our big hope is that ultimately we are able to drive better solutions for prevention, prediction and treatment for the problems kids have now, and the diseases they will have as adults. Over 80 to 100 years, this will be an incredibly important resource for understanding how people age best. Professor Melissa Wake GenV Scientific Director GenV officially launches In December, Victorian Minister for Health Jill Hennessy launches GenV with PRF CEO Simon Freeman and MCRI CEO Kathryn North. Victoria is a prime location for the project because of its world-renowned medical research facilities and universities. Our focus is on studies like GenV that emphasise prevention as well as treatment to ensure better outcomes for Victorians. Jill Hennessy MP Former Victorian Minister for Health 2016 GENV HOLDS Incubator workshops GenV holds incubator workshops with clinicians and researchers to identify focus areas and important scientific questions for GenV to address. Over 80 Clinicians and researchers shape GenV through its working groups. 2015 Engagement with maternity services Initial engagement with clinical staff and researchers at Monash Health, the Royal Women’s Hospital, Sunshine Hospital and Mercy Health. People from these organisations help shape GenV and its processes. GenV recruitment pilot The GenV pilot shows the feasibility of recruitment and consent processes adjacent to the Victorian Infant Hearing Screening Program (VIHSP) at the Royal Women’s Hospital. Results indicate that the GenV recruitment process is feasible and successful and is very little burden on parents and clinical services. 2014 Family focus groups This ethics engagement study asks expectant and new parents’ views on GenV and participating in a longer study. Participants feel the ongoing linkage of data and biosamples collected from themselves and their children is important and they are willing for their children to participate. Biospecimen pilots collected Consent is collected to access existing universal biological pregnancy samples (1st and second trimester screening samples) for use in research. Over 90% of parents consent, showing a high level of acceptability. Melbourne Children’s Trials Centre launches The centre is the largest paediatric trials centre in Australia. It ensures quality, efficiency and innovation in our trials and supports the development of new interventions in GenV to prevent, diagnose and treat childhood diseases. 2013 International benchmarking and expert review A team of researchers study similar research projects from around the world to ensure we adopt best practice from the very beginning. A group of international experts from Denmark, France, Norway, the United Kingdom and Australia from similar initiatives review GenV’s approach (then known as the ‘Big Idea’). The committee endorses GenV as scientifically important, feasible, and unique and will greatly add to our understanding of child health and development’. Data linkage studies MCRI studies successfully complete consented data linkage to a range of government and clinical datasets. These demonstrate the feasibility of GenV’s consented data linkage approach and the high level of consent from families for this to occur. Melbourne Children’s Campus LifeCourse program LifeCourse includes over 40 separate clinical and population-based longitudinal studies, including over 50,000 participants. The vision of LifeCourse is to maximise the value of these studies to inform better outcomes for children and adolescents across the continuum of care. The learnings from LifeCourse studies are driving the approach and research in GenV. Melbourne Children’s Bioresource Centre launches This state-of-the-art centralized biosample processing and storage facility uses international best practices to store biosamples safely and securely. With GenV, it will become Australia’s largest automated biobank.