Alzheimer’s Society has today (Wednesday 28 August 2024) announced that it will be investing £9million into funding three new Doctoral Training Centres, including one at Queen Mary University of London.
Designed to support and nurture dementia researchers at the start of their career, the London centre will be led by Professor Nathan Davies and Professor Claudia Cooper, in a move which is essential to progressing much-needed dementia research.
Currently only one in five dementia PhD students go on to stay in dementia research often due to underfunding and the challenging nature of academic careers. The news last week of potential new treatments in dementia highlights again that researchers taking their first steps into the field will be the dementia research leaders of the future. They are critical to maintaining the momentum to end the devastation caused by dementia.
Together with the other centres in Newcastle and Manchester, they will support nearly 90 students over five years to enter dementia research.
Professor Nathan Davies at Queen Mary University of London, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to work with the other four institutions in our Doctoral Training Centre partnership to inspire the next leaders in dementia research. We want to create a community for our researchers where they feel supported, valued and inspired to change the landscape of dementia care.
“For students being part of our Doctoral Training Centre means joining a vibrant and dynamic academic community where students are not just learners but active contributors to cutting-edge research. They will be immersed in an environment where collaboration with fellow students and world-renowned experts fuels intellectual growth and innovation.”
Between the three centres, they will focus on building knowledge and understanding in areas that have been particularly underfunded. This includes understanding how changes to blood vessels and our immune systems contribute to dementia, Lewy body dementia and Integrated Care. The Doctoral Training Centres will represent networks of researchers from a range of institutions working on the same research topic with varying expertise and specialisms.
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer but there is still no cure. With this new, bold and ambitious generation of researchers, life-changing breakthroughs can be achieved which are so desperately needed by more than 87,000 people living with this devastating condition across London.
The new Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centres, which build on a previous model led by the charity, will play a pivotal role in encouraging people to enter the field of dementia research, as well as create a supportive network. They will provide PhD students with unique access to activity across the centres – widening their options for peer support, networking, knowledge sharing, training, and equipment. This has previously shown to have a powerful effect in helping to support PhD students to continue their careers in dementia research.
Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Officer at Alzheimer’s Society said: “Dementia is the biggest health and social care issue of our time. By 2040, 1.4 million people will be living with the condition in the UK. And yet a worrying number of dementia researchers leave the field after finishing their PhDs, so a catastrophic amount of talent and expertise is being lost.
“This is a significant investment, that aims to urgently attract and nurture a new, bold and ambitious generation of researchers so we can ramp up the speed and progress of life-changing breakthroughs so desperately needed for people living with this devastating condition.
“These Doctoral Training Centres will give students in the early stages of their dementia research careers fantastic opportunities to collaborate with their peers and build knowledge, as well as access world-class expertise, the latest technology and training. Their research will lead to vital new knowledge where huge gaps remain.
“Research will beat dementia, but we need to make it a reality sooner. One in three people born today will go on develop dementia in their lifetime, so it’s vital we boost the research field to help people now and give hope to those who will be affected in the future.”
To help fund Alzheimer’s Society’s groundbreaking research and support services, sign up for free to one of 26 Memory Walks this Autumn, including in London on 6 October, visit memorywalk.org.uk
