The Vivensa Foundation recently published an in-depth report that sheds light on the gaps, challenges, and opportunities within the field of ageing research. We believe ‘Ageing-related research in the UK: a landscape analysis’ to be the most comprehensive and recent analysis of ageing-related research funding in the UK. Therefore, we hope the insights will inform research, policy and funding.
Dr Pedro Jacob, Grants Officer, explains: “As ageing-related research is broad and multi-disciplinary there is no single database tracking research and related funding. We carried out detailed analysis to isolate a suitable dataset from the 2022 UK Health Research Analysis (UK Clinical Research Collaboration, 2023) database.”
Chair of Trustees, Professor Deborah Dunn-Walters FRSB, says: “As co-convenors of the UK Ageing Research Funders’ Forum, with UK Research and Innovation’s Economic and Social Research Council, we are uniquely positioned to lead efforts in re-imagining how we allocate resources and shape research priorities, fostering collaboration amongst funders, and addressing critical funding gaps. We are sharing this analysis openly in the interests of making the information available across the research and funding community and inviting new fellow travellers to join us.”
Targeted investment in the biological and social aspects of ageing
As the UK’s population continues to age, the implications for healthcare, social services, and society as a whole are becoming increasingly urgent. The report underscores the pressing need for targeted investment in research that addresses both the biological and social aspects of ageing. There were a number of important findings to come out of the report. Here, we look at just five recommendations:
- Increased support at the ‘translational’ and ‘applied’ stages of research. This is to ensure that we can improve national performance in bridging the gap between fundamental scientific discoveries and practical healthcare applications.
- The need to address geographic disparities. The regions with populations that are ageing more rapidly are often underserved in terms of research and healthcare infrastructure. How we serve the needs of older adults in rural, coastal and semi-rural areas, for example, need more consideration.
- Focus on research into preventative measures. Looking into preventative measures and their effectiveness could improve the quality of life for older adults.
- Address issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). EDI is important across all stages of the research and innovation pipeline. It should be central to the design of ageing-related research to ensure that an increasingly diverse population is represented. And to ensure that access to healthcare is fair.
- Prioritise funding for underfunded health categories. It’s important that areas such as ageing-related vision, hearing loss, musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions receive adequate funding. There is also a need to address ageing-related cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Our recently launched 2025-30 Strategic Framework sets out how we will address some of these issues.
You can download the report and learn more about the findings here. And because we believe in transparency and collaboration within the research community, we’ve made the underlying data for this report freely available on the Figshare platform.