GUIDE Updates Governance and Timeline

The meeting held on the 1st December 2025 provided a comprehensive update on the progress made by the GUIDE consortium, offering partners an opportunity to review recent achievements, ongoing activities, and key developments across the consortium. Participants engaged in detailed discussions on matters of governance, including the continued refinement of the memorandum of understanding and the consortium agreement, i.e. two foundational documents that will shape the long-term structure and stability of the GUIDE. These conversations underscore the consortium’s commitment to building a robust and transparent governance framework that can support GUIDE’s ambitions as it evolves.

A significant portion of the meeting focused on preparing for the upcoming Interim General Assembly, scheduled for 27 March 2026. This event will represent a crucial milestone for the GUIDE. While scientists and research partners remain central to GUIDE’s mission, the consortium emphasized that the next phase of development requires the active engagement of government representatives and national research funding authorities. Their involvement is essential for shaping the future of GUIDE, ensuring that its governance structure aligns with national expectations, and securing the political and financial pathways needed for long-term sustainability.

Over the coming months, each scientific partner will work to bring representatives from relevant ministries and funding bodies to the General Assembly. The discussions at this meeting will address core issues such as the statutes, the consortium agreement, membership fee questions, and the timeline for achieving ERIC status. The consortium acknowledged that government officials may be hesitant to participate due to concerns that attendance might be interpreted as a signal of political or financial commitment. To counter this, partners were encouraged to reassure national stakeholders that participation in the General Assembly does not constitute any binding commitment. Rather, their presence enables open dialogue, improved understanding of national perspectives, and meaningful contributions to GUIDE’s strategic direction.

The meeting also featured an update on the progress of the initiative’s expanding pilot activities. Pilot projects are actively underway in Italy, Norway, and the United Kingdom, where planning, consultations, and fieldwork preparations are advancing well. Contracted research agencies are now fully engaged, marking an important step in moving from design to implementation. These pilots are already generating valuable insights, helping the consortium refine operational practices and better understand the logistical demands of large-scale data collection. Partners also welcomed the announcement that Denmark has recently secured funding to launch its own pilot activities in the coming months. This development represents another important advance in GUIDE’s broader European rollout and demonstrates growing momentum and commitment across member countries.

To plan future data collection, the consortium approved a revised project timeline. All elements of the schedule have been shifted forward by one year, with the first data collection for the age-eight cohort now planned for 2028. This adjustment ensures that partners have adequate time to finalize preparations, secure funding, and fully implement pilot lessons. As a result, near-term funding efforts will concentrate on supporting the successful launch of this inaugural cohort.