# A Multigenerational Longitudinal Panel for Aging Research

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2021 · $672,964

## Abstract

Summary/Abstract
This project will construct a Multigenerational Longitudinal Panel (IPUMS-MLP) of unprecedented scale and
scope. Using cutting-edge automatic record linkage technology and drawing on complete count U.S. census
data available from IPUMS for the period 1850 to 1940, the project will construct millions of individual life histories
and trace millions of families over multiple generations. This infrastructure will provide the most comprehensive
view of long-run changes in life-course dynamics available for any place in the world and will transform our
understanding of processes of population aging. The work will require significant innovation and new technical
infrastructure to accommodate the massive scale of the database.
These data will allow investigators to directly observe changes in aging processes and life-course transitions
during the period in which U.S. society was being transformed by industrialization, urbanization, immigration,
demographic transition, and economic collapse. Investigators will be able to follow individuals over time to
evaluate the impact of early-life conditions on later outcomes, trace life-course transitions into adulthood and old
age, and observe family change over multiple generations. IPUMS-MLP will enrich existing aging surveys by
providing data on multiple generations of forebears of survey respondents; likewise, it will enrich existing
historical databases by enabling them to connect with descendants across multiple generations. Leveraging
billions of dollars of federal investments in census data and transactional records from a variety of administrative
sources, this project is a highly cost-effective use of scarce resources to develop shared infrastructure for
research, education, and policy-making on health and aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10174657
- **Project number:** 5R01AG057679-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Steve Ruggles
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $672,964
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10174657

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10174657, A Multigenerational Longitudinal Panel for Aging Research (5R01AG057679-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10174657. Licensed CC0.

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