Dementia researchers from the Institute of Mental Health have secured a prestigious European Commission funding award, committing over £3.5 million towards a new programme of dementia research over the next three years.

The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (MSC-ITN) are highly prestigious awards funded under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme. The programme identifies pressing societal challenges and then brings multi-disciplinary resources together from across Europe to find the right solutions.

The new MSC-ITN funding will facilitate the creation of the DISTINCT project: “Dementia: Intersectorial Strategy for Training and Innovation Network for Current Technology”. The aim of DISTINCT is to develop a multi-disciplinary, intersectorial educational research framework for Europe to improve technology and care for people with dementia and carers, and to provide the evidence to show how technology can improve the social health of people living with dementia.

_{[Members of the DISTINCT team at the Institute of Mental Health (L-R): Prof Martin Orrell, Ann Gibbons, Dr Orii McDermott and Prof Justine Schneider]}

Professor Martin Orrell, Director of the Institute of Mental Health and the lead for the DISTINCT project said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded this new funding, the work that this new study will deliver builds on the existing research framework from the INDUCT study. Bringing together a team of dementia and technology experts and researchers from across Europe creates a unique opportunity to pool resources, knowledge and ideas to tackle some of the biggest challenges in dementia.”

Recent research published by the INTERDEM Social Health Taskforce showed that there is a need for research specialists working to improve dementia care and supporting people at home, in order to reduce the economic and societal costs. The DISTINCT programme will develop 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) who will become experts in the health and social needs of people with dementia and the effective application of technological solutions to support them. Investing in a cohort of ESRs with such specialised expertise will ensure that critical dementia research has a future and could bring us a step closer to crucial breakthroughs in diagnosis or treatments.

The Institute of Mental Health already supports 100 PhD students and two other doctoral training centres through the NIHR MindTech MedTech Co-operative and TAnDem. By securing this funding award it demonstrates that the Institute of Mental Health is the lead centre in Europe for doctoral training and research excellence in this area of dementia research.

Dementia was identified by the European Commission as a ‘societal challenge’; in Europe there are almost 7 million people with dementia and this is expected to double by 2050. The EU has highlighted the need to “invest in scientific research and efficient approaches to care systems through the development of more effective, technology-assisted care to anticipate the economic and social impact of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia” (European Parliament 19 January 2011).

The healthcare industry and social sectors are urgently struggling with how to support people with dementia and carers (cost-) effectively and how and what kind of technology can help with this.

DISTINCT will provide a comprehensive training programme for ESRs to acquire a deep understanding of the nature of dementia and needs in relation to social health and the use of technology. They will explore both the opportunities new technology can provide, as well as how to make technology more useable and ultimately improve the lives of people living with dementia and carers.

The unique collaborative partnership within DISTINCT will comprise nine world leading research universities and organisations plus IDES, a SME for technology, research and care. Collaborative partners include Alzheimer Europe, Alzheimer’s Disease International, World Occupational Therapist Federation and other SMEs.

The success of this funding award demonstrates that European funding from Horizon 2020 continues to be a viable option for UK partners in a variety of research fields, despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. Funding commissioners and governments in both Westminster and Brussels have stated their commitment to continuing to collaborate on research and innovation.