A key step in achieving the cost-effective recruitment, characterisation, and follow-up of 500,000 participants was the creation of an executive and advisory team with complementary scientific and management skills and a coordinating centre dedicated to the generation of a resource for the scientific community. This facilitated the development of a centralised infrastructure, bespoke information technology (IT) systems, and industrial approaches to collection and processing of data and samples. For example, inviting potential participants via individual general-practice groupings (an approach used by smaller UK population-based studies) would have been impractical for a study of UK Biobank’s scale, so appropriate approvals were obtained to allow direct mailing of invitations using contact details held centrally by the NHS. The recruitment process itself was coordinated centrally, with up to six assessment centres being active at any one time during the recruitment phase. Staffing and equipment needs were carefully configured to ensure the smooth flow of around 100 participants per day through each assessment centre for six days per week. Biological samples were also processed and handled centrally, requiring the development of bespoke laboratory information
