Generation Victoria (GenV): Establishment and Campus Value

Generation Victoria, or GenV, is Australia’s largest child and parent research project, dedicated to improving health and wellbeing of children and adults.

The primary objective of GenV is to enroll every child born in Victoria, along with their parents, into this study. This ambitious initiative aims to create a state-based research platform to accelerate the ability of researchers in addressing complex health and wellbeing challenges affecting children and young people by 2035.

Led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, GenV looks at how children grow and develop, how people age, and how health changes across generations. GenV is the only birth and parent cohort launched internationally during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it includes families who are often underrepresented in research, such as those living in regional and rural communities, culturally and linguistically diverse families, and First Nations families.

Made possible through philanthropy, including support from the Good Friday Appeal, the Victorian Government, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation, this project aims to improve the prediction, prevention, and treatment of various child health issues such as preterm birth, allergies, and anxiety. GenV is helping researchers, communities and policymakers improve health and wellbeing of families at the RCH, throughout Victoria and across Australia in the long term.

To date, over 115,000 participants have joined the study, which includes families and babies from every birthing hospital in Victoria.

Through research and testing, GenV supports a wide range of conditions, both common and rare, affecting children and adults today. GenV is involved in 16 active research studies and supports a wide range of collaborative observational and interventional research.

From reducing the unprecedented rate of chronic adult diseases to developing improved predictive tools, this initiative is helping to ensure the next generation is as healthy as possible.

Last updated March 2025

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