Advancing collaborative cohort research in Switzerland
Switzerland is home to a diverse landscape of high-quality cohort studies that generate valuable longitudinal health data. To support and promote collaboration across these initiatives, the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) established a national network that brings together metadata from Swiss cohort studies through the Maelstrom Research catalogue. By improving the discoverability and comparability of cohort data, the SPHN-CC facilitates cross-cohort research and strengthens opportunities for national and international collaboration.
30.06.2026
Cohort studies are extremely valuable sources of real-world data. By following individuals over time, they generate rich insights into health trajectories, risk factors, and disease outcomes. Yet these valuable datasets can only reach their full impact when they can be found, compared, and used collaboratively.
To meet this need, SPHN launched the Swiss Personalized Health Network Cohort Consortium (SPHN-CC) in 2021, a national network that brings together Swiss cohort studies through a coordinated collection of metadata. Hosted on the Maelstrom Research metadata catalogue, the SPHN-CC brings together key information on study design, data collection, and variable content, enabling researchers to understand, compare, and connect data across independent cohorts. The variables displayed in the Maelstrom catalogue are mapped to a common metadata model but are not harmonized across cohorts. Researchers interested in accessing data can submit requests to the respective cohort studies directly, in accordance with their access procedures and governance frameworks.
Milestone: Proof of concept for cross-cohort research
SPHN has reached an important milestone with the publication of a first scientific paper describing the SPHN-CC network and demonstrating how the Maelstrom catalogue infrastructure can support cross-cohort research. The study shows that standardized metadata can be used to identify and harmonize comparable variables across independent studies, enabling joint analyses without the need to centralize individual-level data.
Using sociodemographic and lifestyle variables as a proof of concept, the collaboration successfully combined metadata from multiple Swiss cohorts, representing more than 37 000 participants. This achievement demonstrates that cross-cohort analyses are feasible even when studies differ in design, population, and data collection strategies
Strengthening the Swiss research ecosystem
By simplifying the identification of compatible variables and reducing the effort required to prepare collaborative projects, the SPHN-CC strengthens future national and international research partnerships. As additional cohorts join the initiative, the potential for harmonization and large-scale analyses will continue to expand.
This publication marks a significant step toward a more integrated Swiss cohort ecosystem and highlights the value of coordinated metadata infrastructures for advancing biomedical research.