1. Age UK
Research
Matthew Norton
Monday 11th September 2012

2. The Age UK Group
Mission – to improve the lives of older people
• A social enterprise and a charity
• Five areas of activity (‘Pillars’)
• 3000 employees
• 50,000 volunteers
• Turnover £160m + Brand Partners £140m (Total £300m;
2010-11)
• There are over 200,000 charities in the UK and some much
bigger than us!!

3. The 5 pillars
Health and Well-being
Home and Care
Travel and Leisure
Money Matters
Work and Learning

4. Research for Later Life
(Age UK Research)
Overall aim - to produce research solutions for an ageing population
by:
• Funding and commissioning
‘Research into Ageing’ (Health & Well-being)
Social and Economic research
Services and evaluation research
• Translating research findings to produce an evidence base for policy,
practice, products and services (including market research)
• Developing mutually beneficial research relationships at all levels

5. Why we need effective research now

6. Why we need effective research now
• 1 year of additional woe for every year of life
gained
• Less than 1 year of additional woe for one year of
life gained
• No additional woe for each year of life gained
• Less woe despite life gained: Fries’ ‘Compression
of morbidity’
The 6

7. Age UK Research Effectiveness
Our research is widely
recognised for its
effectiveness

8. Examples of Age UK Research
Effectiveness
 Development of the DWP ageing strategy in
‘Opportunity Age’ (2005)
 Development of the Social Exclusion Units
strategy in ‘A Sure Start to Later Life’ (2006)
 Development of treatment for reducing post-
event inflammation in thrombotic stroke
(2009)
 Changes to the diagnosis and treatment of
urinary incontinence (2010)
 Removal of the default retirement age
(2011)
 Care in Crisis Campaign (2012)

9. The Team
Head of Research – James Goodwin
Knowledge Research into Social and
Management Ageing Fund Economic
Research
Manager: Manager: Manager:
Phil Rossall Libby Archer Matthew
Norton

10. Knowledge Hub
Professional Resources
about issues, projects,
and information on older
people
– Evidence, research,
statistics, and
information about
older people and the
older population

11. Later Life 2012
National and International Trends:
Later Life in 100 slides
Prepared by Age UK Research
Department
For source information, see the Later Life factsheets in the Age UK
Knowledge Hub
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/professional-resources-home/knowledge-hub-evidence-statistics/

12. New Infographics site (in
development)
•Economic Dashboard – get the
latest economic indicators every
quarter
•Maps of ageing
•Time-series spreadsheet –
range of socio-economic indicator
data in one place
•Infographics summarising data
on individual topics
•New illustrated factsheets

13. The definitive road map for ageing research in Europe
Aim:
To produce recommendations for the EC age research agenda
FP 8 (2013)
• Two year project (2009 - 2011)
• To create the definitive road map for ageing research in Europe for the
next 10-15 years
• The most extensive consultation ever conducted in this field
• Identify the main priorities on ageing and health from a multi-disciplinary
perspective
• Build on consensus between key stakeholders

14. Research Priorities
• Oldest old (and centenarians)
• Health of older people
• Dementia (largely funded elsewhere)
• Frailty
• Obesity
• Variations in outcomes
• Age Discrimination
• Variations in health care
• Assistive living technology / Digital Inclusion
• Social care (particularly to support campaigning)
• Work and employment transitions in later life
• Pensions
• Intergenerational contact / conflict / fairness

15. Grant-funded research
programme
Manager: Libby Archer (on
the left!)
What?
Through the Research into Ageing
Fund, we fund external research
projects that aim to improve later
life.
How?
We run competitive grant rounds to
identify the best quality ageing
research in the UK to fund within our
remit.
Key development
In 2010, the Trustees decided a
revised direction and emphasis for
the programme for the future.

16. The Awards
We normally invite applications for grants once a year, for one
or more of the following types of award:
• PhD Studentships
• Research Fellowships
• Senior Research Fellowships
• Clinical Research Fellowships
• Research project grants
• New Investigator awards
We publish detailed eligibility criteria for the type(s) of
award(s) on offer at the time of calling for grant
applications.

17. FIAF process
Expressions of Interest in the first instance. These are assessed by
our Research Advisory Council (RAC)
All full applications are reviewed by a target of three independent
referees in line with AMRC guidelines and are evaluated for
overall merit by the RAC.
Fellowship candidates are shortlisted after the full application stage
for interview with the RAC.
The RAC ultimately recommends grant awards to the Age UK
Trustees’ Board for decision.
We publish timetables and deadlines for the process together with
full guidance for applicants at the time of calling for applications.

18. Grant-funded research
programme
Implementation
Working with the Research Advisory Council and Brendan
McCormack in 2011, the revised direction and emphasis was worked
up in depth for implementation through revised policies and remit for
future grant rounds.
The grant round will support the Health and Wellbeing pillar.
First grant round under this remit launched November 2011.
Additional expertise co-opted to Research Advisory Council to
advise on this grant round. Brendan is observing the whole process.
£1,000,000 has been committed to this grant round.
Note – grant rounds take 9 months to complete and take place
in 2 main stages.

19. Grant-funded research
programme
Outcomes to date
Wider remit has been welcomed by many people in the research
community.
Wider remit has attracted first stage outline applications in a wider
range of health and wellbeing research than ever before.
It has captured a wider range of gerontological research approaches
into the programme.
The number of outline applications received at first stage is an all-time
record – 272 (2010: 164).
Outline applications have been assessed by the RAC.
42 have been selected to go to the next, full application stage (the
maximum that is sensible given the level of budget available).
11 were funded by the Research Advisory Committee.

20. Outcome – Funded research
Of the 272 submitted the RAC decided that only 11 were fundable (achieving
a score of 12.5 / 16):
2 Fellowships
1 Clinical Fellowship
8 PhDs
Including: 3 on skin / wound healing dementia; older workers in construction
sector; sex in later life; delirium; using pre-operative comprehensive
geriatric assessment to improve outcomes after vascular surgery; early
diagnosis of cognitive impairment; and constipation
Remit of the round changed, but still no social or behavioural science

21. RIAF 2013
Remit is to support Health and well-being pillar
Integral part of Age UK fundraising strategy
RIAF still under review as part of a wider review of Age
UK research strategy
• Announcement for next round in Spring 2013
• Higher quality translational research – particularly
social and behavioural science

22. Social Research Programme
Manager: Matthew Norton
Focused on meeting policy and service delivery objectives under
5 pillars
Commission Research: modest budget
16 projects in 2010/11, 12 in 2011/12
‘In-house’ analysis
Contribute to Policy / Campaign strategy and service delivery
Work with Academics to use their research to create impact

23. Social Research Highlights
Care in Crisis 2012
£4,000 for underpinning analysis
Further analysis ‘in-house’
Additional campaigning and media work
Large media and political impact
Living on a low income in later life
£40,000
Description of the daily struggle for older
people on low income
Substantial media coverage – raise
awareness / support campaigning

24. Social Research Highlights
Health Outcomes for older people
• Major investment
~£200,000 over 3 years
• Age UK as leader on trends
in health in later life
• Underpin policy work and
service development
• Launch at IFA in May 2012

25. Social Research highlights
Economic Monitor
• In house project lead by
Chief Economist
• Age UK as authority on
economic issues related to
older people – non-
economist audience
• Underpin policy work and
service development
• Launch at Party
Conferences 2012

26. Social Research in 2012 / 13
Projects already planned:
• Debt and older people
• Social Care: From needs to outcomes
• Health Outcomes in Later Life 2013
• Focus on oldest old
• PLINY: RCT on befriending
• Modelling auto-enrolment in pensions
• NISER modelling of pensions looking at impact on
saving of different scenarios

27. Knowledge Management Programme
Manager: Phil Rossall
Focus on building the evidence base
for the Age UK Charity, Group and partners
Emphasis April 2011 onwards on outputs:
• publications
• events
• professional website
Spreading good practice on use of evidence
throughout Age UK
Ensuring accuracy of external messages
Building Age UK reputation as centre for expertise
and knowledge on ageing

30. Knowledge Management Highlights
Outputs and activity:
•Knowledge Hub on professional pages of external website,
including live updating, expert articles (5) and regular blogs
•Generic fact sheets (regularly used by media, fundraising etc)
and presentations e.g. 100-slide Later Life presentation
•Improving Later Life book
•Co-production of accessible research summaries: Evidence
Reviews (2) and Expert Series (7)
•Setting up new Resource Centre in Tavis House

31. Knowledge Management Highlights
•Establishment and dissemination of Policy and research e-
bulletin (10 editions so far)
•5 Expert Briefing events, including 2 external research
launch events
•External talks on the older population (2)
•Local authority statistics tool for Influencing Consortium,
plus support for partners
•Research support for publications e.g. Agenda for Later
Life, literature search and research support service,
participation in special projects e.g. support for International
team in Bosnia and Serbia
•Support/ quality control for media and web editorial teams
(daily) and fundraising, Enterprises etc (regular)

32. Knowledge Management Highlights
Other ongoing activity and plans:
•Planning sequel to Improving Later Life
book (current)
•Extending Knowledge Hub web pages to
include maps, visualisations and
infographics (started March 2012)
•Fourth Age project (summary of 85+
population) ongoing, report late 2012
•New materials for Influencing Consortium
(maps and data) for Summer 2012

33. Partnerships
Working with academic institutions / funders to:
• Establish funding priorities (E.g Dementia / BIG lottery etc)
• Priorities topics for research (individual projects)
• Design research
• Deliver
• E.g. TSB funded COBALT project / PLINY RCT
• Advise
• Implement and disseminate
• Patient and Public Involvement
We are both proactive and reactive to research proposals / funding calls
• Welcome approaches from academics

34. Thank-you
Matthew.norton@ageuk.org.uk