Contacting participants in the Tromsø Study for new data collection

How to apply

Fill out the application form (Word). Attach:

• A project description/protocol with the publication plan. Click her for the sample template.
• An approval from REC - Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics. 
• The consent form/information letter that will be sent to the participants.

Send the application and attachments to the Tromsø Study email: tromsous@uit.no

Applications must be submitted at latest two weeks before the management group’s meeting. Please note that the application must be complete – including all the sections mentioned above – before it can be processed. However, the approval from REC can be sent later. 

Dates for the management group’s meetings 2023

• 7. mars
• 18. april
• 22. mai
• 11. juni
• 22. august
• 3. oktober
• 14. november

Please expect a process time of up to 2 weeks after each meeting. It is common for the process to require some dialog and coordination between the project leader and the Tromsø Study to complete the consent form/information letter. 

Guidelines and criteria’s for applying

1. Scientific quality and relevance
Explain the professional quality of the project:

• The scientific relevance for the project
• The competence and qualifications of the project leader and project group
• The feasibility of the project, meaning project’s finances and planning.
• The possible usefulness and value in the projects field of research 

Describe the project’s relevance/value, hereby to which extent:

• The analysis of the results enriches the Tromsø Study’s data  
• The project benefits several scientific researchers/groups communities 
• The project bridges knowledge gaps for society and/or the research participants

2. Affiliation with, and the significance for, the Tromsø Study

Describe whether the project is already a part of the Tromsø Study - as in whether the project is a continuation or builds upon already-existing projects in Tromsø 1-7. It is not an absolute criterion that the project is already part of the Tromsø Study if the project meets the other criteria. This means that new, current, and important projects can and will also be added to the Tromsø Study.

The Tromsø Study will assess the project's possible significance for the Tromsø Study's support and reputation. The project applicant is therefore asked to give his/her own subjective assessment of what the project may mean for future support and reputation.

3. The need for access to contact previous participants in the Tromsø Study
Describe and explain that it is necessary to contact previous participants in the Tromsø Study to carry out the project:

• Why is it important that the Tromsø Study’s participants should participate in the project? 
• Will the project make use of data that has already been collected from participants? 
  (Please note that access to data requires a separate application to the Data- and Publication Committee (DPC)). 

Describe who (which participants) in the Tromsø Study it is desired to contact, why they want to be contacted and what is to be done (which data collections, new surveys, etc.). The Tromsø survey will here assess how many participants are affected and the burden on the participants (by participating in this project, as well as how much they have been requested previously). 

4. Returning data from the project back to the Tromsø Study
As a general rule, new data (which is collected in the project) must be returned to the research database in the Tromsø Study, i.e., data is entered into the EUTRO-database with the meta data and descriptions of the variables. The project leader/applicant must agree with the Tromsø Study on how the returning of the data is to take place. Data must be entered into EUTRO before they can be handed out for analysis. For data that is returned to the Tromsø survey, conditions for reuse of data must also be agreed upon. This includes among other whether the project manager is to be asked and/or credited about future use, and for how long. 

Valuable information about consent forms and information letters 
The consent forms and information letters will be written and designed in collaboration with the Tromsø Study. It must be clear that the inquiry/information letter with a request to the participants comes from the Tromsø Study (layout and logo). The Tromsø Study will send out the first inquiry/information letter to the participants. 

In the consent letter, it is important to be aware that those who receives the consent form are primarily healthy people who have previously participated in the Tromsø Study. We recommend wording the consent form in a way that is informative, with a use of terms that is understandable and does not create unnecessary concern. 

Useful links:
Template for information letter and consent (REC)
Guideline template for information letter (NSD)

Fees for the application process and further
The fees related to the work the Tromsø Study does in the application processing and in the inquiries to the participants must, generally, be invoiced to the research project. Labour costs are calculated for each individual project according to the hourly rate. Material costs, shipping and any other expenses will be in addition.