Methodologies and Data mining techniques for the analysis of Big Data based on Longitudinal Population and Epidemiological Registers.

European societies face rapid social changes, challenges and benefits, which can be studied with traditional tools of analysis, but with serious limitations. This rapid transformation covers changes in family forms, fertility, the decline of mortality and increase of longevity, and periods of economic and social instability. Owing to population ageing across Europe, countries are now experiencing the impact of these rapid changes on the sustainability of their welfare systems. At the same time, the use of the space and residential mobility has become a key topic, with migration within the EU countries and from outside Europe being at the center of the political agenda. Over the past decade research teams across Europe have been involved in the development and construction of longitudinal population registers and large research databases, while opening up avenues for new linkages between different data sources (ie administrative and health data) making possible to gain an understanding of these fast societal transformations. However, in order to work with these types of datasets requires advanced skills in both data management and statistical techniques. LONGPOP aims to create network to utilize these different research teams to share experiences, construct joint research, create a training track for specialist in the field and increase the number of users of these large– possibly underused – databases, making more scientists and stakeholders aware of the richness in the databases.

LONGPOP is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (Grant Agreement No 676060, call for proposals 2015). The Innovative Training Networks aim to train a new generation of early-stage researchers, who are in their first four years of research with no PhD awarded, with innovative and creative skills to face nowadays challenges. The 15 ESR have moved to another country to develop their individual projects. These projects are built in the framework of the 6 work packages (3 of research, 1 of training and 2 of management and dissemination). The network, composed by 10 beneficiaries and 1 partner, hosts the 15 ESR providing them training-through-research as well as in-house and external courses. Their professional development is completed by the secondments in the different organisations and in the partner organisation – IECA. A strong emphasis is put in their participation and active contribution to dissemination and communication activities and events, such as conferences, seminars, meetings with non-specialists audiences, etc.