Scientific challenges in ageing research: The UK Research Councils' contribution
Ian Diamond, Economic and Social Research Council, UK
As with many countries in the world, the UK is ageing at a relatively
fast rate. It is universally acknowledged that this provides many
challenges (and opportunities) for UK society. Some of these challenges
such as increasing need for health care or for the management of
pensions are well known. Others such as the contribution of volunteering
to the economy are less well understood.
There are eight Research Councils in the UK which cover the entire
science base from the Arts and Humanities to Particle Physics and have a
joint budget approaching £3billion per annum. They work together through
a partnership, Research Councils UK. One of the key research areas in
which the Research Councils work together is ageing. This paper first
reviews some of the major contributions of the UK Research Councils to
ageing research and then describes the major challenges which will be
addressed over the next few years.
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