A SCOTTISH university has received £20 million in funding to help establish the UK’s first research centre dedicated to understanding and improving caring for the aging population.
The University of Edinburgh announced a long-term partnership with financial giants Legal & General to establish the Advanced Care Research Centre (ACRC).
The ACRC will offer a seven-year multi-disciplinary research programme designed to improve understanding of care in later life and to revolutionise how it is delivered.
The University of Edinburgh’s grant-funded, academic-led ACRC programme will operate in the public interest, forming a major new strand in Legal & General’s drive towards inclusive capitalism.
The partnership with Legal & General marks the University’s largest industry investment, as part of the £661m data-driven innovation initiative within the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.
The research centre will work in partnership with other top tier universities to engage in multiple public and private stakeholders, as well as individuals in later life, their families and communities.
It will also include an academy that will develop a new generation of enterprise-oriented leaders in later life care through a rigorous programme of cross-disciplinary research-based training.
There are more than 12 million over-65s in the UK and this figure is expected to increase by 50% over the next 20 years.
Dr Nigel Wilson, Group CEO of Legal & General, said:” “Establishing the ACRC will revolutionise the UK’s commitment to understanding and addressing the huge issue of demographic change – part of a global challenge with significant social and economic impacts.
“Edinburgh’s academic-led, data-based and cross-disciplinary approach will deliver vital positive change to ageing and care and we find this a compelling and practical vision.
“The partnerships we are forging with premier institutions up and down the country, from the University of Oxford and Newcastle, to Bath University, UCL and now Edinburgh will help shift the dial in the delivery of science, technology and ageing care for many future generations to come.”
Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “We are delighted to host this ground-breaking collaboration with colleagues at Legal & General.
“This exceptional partnership will re-imagine care for the mid-21st century. As our population ages, so we need to develop innovative new approaches to provide individually-tailored care. This is the big challenge that the partners will address, bringing to bear pioneering research from the brightest academic minds across multiple disciplines to deliver creative and trusted solutions to address real world problems.
