Swansea University’s Centre for Innovative Ageing has been awarded more than £1.3million, to begin a second five-year phase of its Older People and Ageing Research and Development Network (OPAN Cymru) project.
The funding has been awarded under the National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (NISCHR), following the successful conclusion of the first five years of the multi-disciplinary research network, led by co-directors Professor Judith Phillips and Dr Sue Lambert in the University’s School of Human and Health Sciences.
The OPAN Cymru network includes other academics from Swansea, Aberystwyth, Bangor, and Cardiff universities, University of Wales, Newport, University of Glamorgan and University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), as well as health, housing and social care professionals and practitioners with a breadth of experience in public services and ageing who form OPAN Cymru’s Steering Group.
Research topics and themes already established by groups within the network include Stroke; mental health, resilience and life-long health and well-being; social care; environments of ageing and independent living in later life; climate change and older people, and dignity in care.
New groups are also planned in the areas of elder abuse; nanohealth and ageing; business innovation and enterprise, and information, advice and advocacy.
Professional engagement and collaboration with practice and policy professionals is central to OPAN Cymru’s work and collaborative partnerships have been developed since the network began, for example, with local authorities and health organisations.
A key aspect of the network is the discussion and transfer of knowledge between academics, policy, and practice.
The project’s achievements to date have included particular success in research portfolio growth, attracting more than £14million of funded research, with the quality and quantity of research studies improving across Wales.
Older people have themselves played a key part in the network, which has significantly developed policy links at national level and engaged in successful international research collaborations, with countries including Australia, Canada and the USA.
Professor Judith Phillips, Co-Director of OPAN Cymru, said: “Ageing research has developed considerably in Wales since 2005, when OPAN was created. We are delighted to have been awarded this vital continuation funding, which will enable us to retain and build research capacity and the academic expertise that has developed in the last five years.”
In its new five-year phase, OPAN will continue to build on the well-established programme of collaborations with practitioners, professionals and service users from local and national government, the NHS, the voluntary, independent and private sectors and older people’s organisations to plan, undertake and disseminate research.
“One of the new and distinctive areas of the network will be building links with business and industry to develop collaborations and orientate our research to assist them in addressing needs in relation to their ageing workforce and ageing consumer markets,” added Professor Phillips, who is also President of the British Society of Gerontology, and Chair of the British Council on Ageing.
“This has yet to be developed to the full in ageing research and at national and local levels few networks exist to capture industry and business and engage with them in the ageing agenda.”
OPAN Cymru regularly hosts multi-disciplinary research seminars and conferences to support transfer of research findings into health and social care settings.
In collaboration with the British Society of Gerontology, the network will jointly host the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) European Social Research conference from July 1-3, on the theme of Gerontology without Borders – Diversity in European and Transnational Research.
The event, aimed at academics, policy makers, practitioners and managers, will provide a framework for interdisciplinary and international exchange on issues in ageing research, policy and practice. For further information visit http://www.gerontology2010.swansea.ac.uk/.
