We welcome proposals for projects and aim to make data as widely available as possible whilst safeguarding the privacy of our participants, protecting confidential data and maintaining the reputations of our studies and participants.
Requesting data
Data from the Fenland study can be requested by completing the Data Request Form (.docx).
The online data dictionary gives information about the variables available, and you can contact the data sharing team for further advice. If your data request is approved, you may be contacted to clarify the variables groups you require using a simple online form.
Completed data request forms can be emailed to datasharing@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk
If additional data is required following the approval of a request, this can be requested using the Additional Data Request Form (.docx)
All data sharing is dependent on the project being approved by the Fenland Study Management Committee which meets monthly. If your application is successful, you will be contacted to discuss the method of data access and any associated costs.
Data access and sharing policy
All data sharing must meet the terms of existing participants’ consent and study ethical approvals. Our Data Access and Sharing Policy (pdf) defines the principles and processes for accessing and sharing our data.
The access policy for sharing is based on the MRC Policy and Guidance on Sharing of Research Data from Population and Patient Studies (pdf).
Fenland Phase 3 Data Availability
The Fenland Phase 3 Data collection finished in July 2025. The Phase 3 datasets are currently being processed and each set will be made available as soon as possible.
We are aiming to make the various phase 3 datasets available for release on the following timeline:
Available Now:
Raw Questionnaire data: Excluding Medications, Family History of Diabetes and Intake 24 Includes self-reported health and lifestyle factors
Biochemistry data: Includes Glucose and HBA1c, Cholesterol, Liver function indicators and Vitamin C
Anthropometry Measures: Includes Height, weight, waist and hip measures, Body fat, Tanita, Blood pressure, and hand grip strength
DEXA data
Raw Family History of diabetes questionnaire variables
Available by end of November 2025:
Raw Medications data from questionnaires
Available by end of January 2026:
Physical activity data – Cleaned and Processed RPAQ, Accelerometer
Nutrition data from Intake 24 recalls
Available by end of February 2026:
Liver scores from ultrasound
Data Dictionary
Phase 3 variables are not currently included in the online Fenland Study data dictionary. This is in progress and we hope to have this fully available by March 2026, with some variables appearing before that time. However, variable metadata will be provided in flat file format alongside datasets at the point of release.
