UKRI Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards to Launch in 2020

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced that it will launch the Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards in January 2020 to support new ideas for tools and technologies that improve people’s physical, mental and social wellbeing throughout the ageing process.

The awards were originally established by the US National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and funded under the Healthy Ageing Challenge Fund, and will support early stage innovation and stimulate interest in global opportunities. UKRI itself expects to fund up to 60 Catalyst Awards across three funding calls between 2020 and 2022. The calls will be open to UK academics, with the first funding call expected to open in January 2020.

The UK Catalyst Awards will be in the region of £50,000 in total, and proposals may test, implement or pilot a new idea to help people age well, including models, tools, or technologies. Catalyst Award applications will be judged on the basis of creativity and innovation, rather than pre-existing data, demonstrated work, institutional capabilities, or feasibility alone.

A group of international funders will issue similar Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards in their own countries as part of the Healthy Longevity Global Competition.

Full details of the scope of the first call, eligibility and how to apply will be made available on the UKRI funding opportunities webpage in January 2020.

More information about this research funding opportunity and the application process is available on the RESEARCHconnect funding information platform. RESEARCHconnect provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on research funding news and policy. To find out more about how RESEARCHconnect can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.