Our consortium of 60 leading national centres, institutes, and networks at the forefront of ageing research was officially launched at Westminster on 20th November 2023.

Illustrious guests from across our network, government, academia, policy, industry and the third sector joined us for a reception at the House of Commons, and enjoyed speeches from:

• The Rt Hon Lord Blunkett
• Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister Science, Research & Innovation
• Professor Alan Walker CBE, Healthy Lifespan Institute University of Sheffield
• Susan Kay, Chief Executive Dunhill Medical Trust
• Dr Jessica Boname, Head of Programme for Research on Ageing, MRC
• Professor Judith Phillips, Research Director for the Healthy Ageing Challenge, University of Stirling
• Professor Lynne Cox, Co-Director of UK Ageing Networks (UKANet), University of Oxford

Professor Ilaria Bellantuono, Co-director of the Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI) at the University of Sheffield 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 Sheffield, 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.”