The Strategic Oversight Committee is intended to guide the development of UK Biobank in order that it fulfils its mission of enabling scientists internationally to conduct a wide range of health-related research that is in the public interest.
In particular:
- Scientific oversight on the maintenance of the core UK Biobank resource (e.g. guidance on approaches to participant follow-up and the adjudication of health outcomes)
- Considering progress with ongoing enhancement projects (e.g. imaging assessments genomic and other assays) and advising on opportunities for extending their scope
- Identifying and prioritising opportunities for enhancing the UK Biobank resource, and advising on opportunities for funding such enhancements
- Providing links with the wider scientific community in order to ensure that the UK Biobank resource is used as extensively as possible for health-related research
- Reviewing the functioning of the access process and research usage of the resource (including optimisation of the usability of the Research Analysis Platform)
- Advising on the sample storage facilities and proposals for assays of samples, as well as on proposals for re-contact studies (in particular, web-questionnaires)
- Providing advice as requested by members of the UK Biobank Executive Team
The Strategic Oversight Committee will meet 2-3 monthly (as required). It will be chaired by UK Biobank’s CEO/PI, supported by the Executive Management Team.
Recommendations from the Strategic Oversight Committee will be used to help inform UK Biobank’s Board, as well as discussions at the annual meetings of the International Scientific Advisory Board.