The key lessons learned from establishing UK Biobank are that such large-scale studies require not only a clear scientific focus but also streamlined governance; effective working between academic and management disciplines; centralised infrastructure with industrial approaches to collection and processing of data and samples; close partnership with major funders; a wide network of scientific advisors; high-quality, pragmatic legal and ethical advice; and widespread public support [21]. The resource is now facilitating research by scientists from around the world who wish to investigate how different diseases are caused by the combination of lifestyle, environment, and genes, leading to improvements in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Perhaps unsurprisingly, early use has been mainly, but not exclusively, by UK-based scientists. A major aim for the immediate future is to encourage applications from outside the UK. To facilitate this, UK Biobank is further developing its communications strategy to increase awareness of the resource and its access procedures worldwide.
