The CLSA data are currently available to approved public sector researchers, with no preferential or exclusive access for any individual. The CLSA welcomes applications from graduate students and postdoctoral or clinical fellows who wish to use the CLSA data for their thesis research or for their thesis or fellowship research, respectively. For trainee applications (Masters, PhD, postdoctoral or clinical fellows), the primary applicant must be the supervisor and the student must be clearly identified in the Trainee section of the application. The primary applicant must hold an eligible appointment (continuing or term appointment) at an eligible institution that is able to uphold the conditions of the data access agreement, administer grant funds and provide Research Ethics Board approval.

Researchers are invited to submit data access requests using Magnolia, the CLSA’s online data access application system. Requests to access the CLSA data are reviewed by the Data and Sample Access Committee (DSAC). Please consult Researcher Resources, which includes the Data and Sample Access Policy and Guiding Principles, the CLSA protocol(s), the CLSA Data Collection tools and resources, and the information on the data access application process before preparing an application.

There are multiple data access application deadlines per year. For upcoming dates, please see application deadlines under Data Access. If you are the recipient of a CIHR Catalyst Grant for the use of CLSA data, you do not need to submit to one of the application deadlines. Please contact access@clsa-elcv.ca for special instructions.

Yes, investigators affiliated with public research organizations outside Canada can apply to access alphanumeric data collected as part of the CLSA.