The National Cohorts Office (NCO) is set up to advocate for and facilitate competency building among population cohorts in Singapore.
Population cohorts recruit participants from the general population. They are also called longitudinal studies as they follow people over time. As these longitudinal cohorts are versatile in health outcomes they become a valuable infrastructure for biomedical research and translation. These cohorts would have consent for recontact, linkage and secondary data use.
Connect across cohorts and other stakeholders to build a collaborative ecosystem
Highlight needs of cohorts at the national level
Establish and encourage best practices
Promote development, evaluation and dissemination of relevant methods
Launch and administer grant calls
Find the latest news, blogs and reports here.
National Cohorts Office: Networking Event
On 28 October 2025, the National Cohorts Office (NCO) hosted a networking event bringing together cohorts and their teams in Singapore. The event began with a networking lunch, followed by a keynote lecture from Professor Morris and a presentation by the Singapore Strategic Cohorts Consortium (SSCC).
Virtual Roadshow for the NCO 2025 Request for Proposals (RFP)
NCO organised a roadshow on 7 April to introduce the 2025 Request for Proposals (RFP), which will be launched on 22 April 2025. The RFP aims to:
a. Maximise the utility, value, and impact of existing population cohorts by aligning with FAIR principles;
b. Support cohorts in preparing their data and processes for linkage and secondary use; and
c. Generate new insights by integrating cohort data with other datasets on TRUST.
For more information on the 2025 RFP, please click here.
National Cohorts Office presentation @
National Precision Medicine Alliance event
NCO was invited to give an overview at the quarterly National Precision Medicine Alliance (NPMA) meeting. This was held in-person on 27 Aug 2024. A/P Sim Xueling, Director of NCO, gave a 20 mins presentation on cohorts, biobanks, secondary use of cohort data including necessary consent and the motivations of NCO to maximise these cohort resources.
Transforming Population Health:
Realising the Potential of Population Cohorts
NCO organised an insightful seminar tapping on the experience of the distinguished panel on the value and sustainability of population cohorts. The discussion included ethical and regulatory considerations, and the need for trust and transparency in data sharing. The event concluded with a lively Q&A.
