one - Towards a new science of ageing

Summary

This book and the series it launches arises from a unique collaboration between more than 200 researchers and the widest possible range of non-academic stakeholders in the field of ageing research. The nine-year New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) Research Programme was funded by five UK Research Councils covering the arts and humanities, biological sciences, engineering, social sciences and medical research. It therefore brought together researchers from every major discipline with an interest in ageing. This was intentional because the NDA Programme was the UK's first major research initiative in the ageing field to attempt to embrace all of the relevant disciplines. The primary intention of this chapter is to outline the objectives and contents of the Programme, as an essential backcloth to the subsequent chapters.

This chapter also identifies significant changes taking place in the field of gerontological science. It is not claimed that these stem directly from the NDA Programme but, rather, that the Programme was both a reflection of the shifting scientific context as well as a source of further stimulation to the changes already under way. The key elements of this emergent new science of ageing are multi-disciplinarity, user engagement and knowledge exchange. The life course perspective and an increasing recognition of inequalities and diversities in ageing are also important aspects of the new approach.

Finally, this chapter explains the process that produced this book and introduces the main chapters.

The starting point is the NDA Programme.

The New Dynamics of Ageing Research Programme

The NDA Programme was the first of its kind: a multi-disciplinary collaboration between five UK Research Councils. At the beginning, in April 2005, there were four Research Councils behind the programme: the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). A year later the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) joined in as a co-funder of the Programme. Later, in 2008, the Canadian Institute of Aging (part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research) also became a co-funding partner in the Programme as 10 new projects were linked to existing UK ones.

The NDA Programme was established with the aims of understanding the new dynamics of ageing, the various influences shaping them and their implications for individuals and society.