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• UKAgeNet will bring together more than 60 national centres, institutes and groups with leading expertise in ageing research
• The new network will expand the UK’s ageing research capabilities to deliver urgently needed impact
• The cross-disciplinary initiative, launched at Westminster today (20 November 2023) aims to provide policy makers with accurate information and projections to raise the profile of ageing research

UKAgeNet, initiated by the Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI) at the University of 91̽��, will combine the strengths of leading experts in order to expand the nation's ageing research capacity, deliver urgently needed impact and to speak as one voice to policy makers.

Around the world people are living for longer but spending more years in poor health, often living with multiple chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s.

In the UK, 50 per cent of people aged 65 and over are living with two or more chronic diseases - known as multimorbidity. This is a growing issue, with the World Health Organization (WHO) predicting that the global population of people aged 60 years and over will nearly double from 12 per cent to 22 per cent by 2050, which was highlighted in last week’s report from the Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty. 

UKAgeNet will address the urgent need for new collaborative work on the multimorbidity epidemic. It aims to transform the understanding of, and the ability to intervene in, the ageing process.    

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Professor Ilaria Bellantuono, Co-director of the Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI) at the University of 91̽�� and one of the drivers of UKAgeNet, said: “The UK has the opportunity to become a leading power in the field of ageing research, but it needs to act quickly and decisively. 

“By bringing together leading experts in age-related research, we hope UKAgeNet will become one single voice which provides the government and the general public with accurate information and projections to raise the profile of this vital research area nationally and internationally.”

One of the main aims of UKAgeNet is for ageing-related research to be identified as a major priority for the nation’s increasingly diverse ageing population. A barrier at the moment is funding which is desperately needed to ensure the UK can become an international hub linking the best and brightest research and researchers.

Investment in the training and development of future generations of researchers in this field is critical at a time when other countries such as the US have already identified a skills shortage in ageing research. 

Launching UKAgeNet in Parliament Professor Alan Walker, a globally recognised authority on ageing and Co-director of HELSI at the University of 91̽��, said: “ To maximise the opportunities offered by our ageing society and respond to the challenges highlighted last week  by the Chief Medical Officer’s report, it is vital to coordinate the UK’s considerable ageing research strengths.”

The Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI) is the first interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to understanding and preventing multimorbidity and frailty to help everyone live healthier lives for longer.   

For more information or to join UKAgeNet please contact: ukagenet@sheffield.ac.uk