topic Research

Healthy Ageing

The chances of healthy ageing have never been better. The average life expectancy has been continuously increasing over the past 100 years, mainly due to rapid medical progress, and it is expected to do so in the future.

Nevertheless, even in future only very few people will be healthy enough to enjoy independence in the last phase of their life. Many of the over-60s today are chronically ill or suffer from one or, frequently, several diseases. The majority of old people receive medical treatment and often take a large number of medicines. Numerous diseases such as dementia, Parkinson's disease, cardiovascular diseases, depression or cancer are clearly more frequent in old age.

This increasingly challenges not only the public health sector but also the area of health research. In addition to extensive projects on specific diseases, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is therefore also funding new, partly interdisciplinary research projects which directly deal with age-related problems. Research on ageing has also been included in the Federal Government's Health Research Programme as a broad, cross-cutting topic. A large number of age-related projects can therefore be found in nearly all funding priorities. The following is a brief overview of BMBF funding measures which are directly or indirectly related to healthy ageing and the elderly.

Better health in old age

The six scientific collaborations funded by the BMBF are dealing with central and specific issues which are important in maintaining good health in old age but have not been sufficiently addressed so far. Their focus is therefore not on individual syndromes but on the specific aspects of multimorbidity and the promotion of health resources and autonomy in old age. The six collaborations will altogether receive up to €15 million in BMBF funding until 2010; it is planned to provide a similar amount during a subsequent three-year funding phase. At the same time, the BMBF is participating in the European funding programme FLARE (Future Leaders of Ageing Research in Europe) within the framework of the European Research Area Network on Ageing (ERA-AGE).

Competence Networks in Medicine

Since 1999, the BMBF has been supporting a total of 17 competence networks in medicine with the aim of enhancing the transfer of results from basic research into clinical research and patient care. The existing six competence networks which deal with diseases mainly affecting older people pool the national expertise in individual disease areas:

• Dementia Competence Network: www.kompetenznetz-demenzen.de
• Competence Network on Parkinson's Disease: http://www.kompetenznetz-parkinson.de/englisch/englisch.html
• Competence Network Stroke: www.kompetenznetz-schlaganfall.de
• Competence Network Heart Failure: www.knhi.de
• Rheumatism Competence Network: www.dgrh.de/knr.html
• Depression Competence Network: www.kompetenznetz-depression.de

Disease-related competence network on degenerative dementias

Building on the experience gained with "medical competence networks", the BMBF's aim is to promote national "disease-related competence networks" between outstanding players in research and medical care who study clinical syndromes that are important for public health, and it intends to strengthen the efficiency and interdisciplinary character of clinical research and to sharpen the national scientific profile in health research. What is new about this approach is that complex interdisciplinary networking is not a requirement that has to be met in the application phase but can be developed during the funding phase. The first of these new competence networks is being established in the field of dementia research and will receive funding of approximately €50 million in the coming twelve years.

The BMBF brochure on dementia research (Kampf gegen das Vergessen) provides an overview of current research activities including brief information about the causes of dementia and about prevention and possible forms of treatment.

Prevention research

The third follow-up of the prevention research funding measure focuses on the over-50s - after previous focuses on children and young people. Funding of roughly €4.2 million is provided for 17 projects. These projects mainly deal with quality assurance and study the efficiency of measures in primary prevention and health promotion. The projects deal with topics such as accident prevention, maintaining mobility and optimizing nutrition and exercise as well as special problems of people with a migration background and the long-term unemployed.

Innovative aids for the disabled and for use in rehabilitation

Progress in biomedical research and technology development offers new ways of providing old and disabled persons with innovative technical aids and of effectively supporting the process of rehabilitation after an illness. The projects aim to restore or replace lost functions and abilities and to support patients with technical aids. This helps older and disabled people to lead an independent and active life and enables them to participate in social activities.

Nursing care research

The growing number of small families and single households, the increasing life expectancy, shorter stays in hospital and other developments are leading to a greater demand for nursing care services. Long-term care can therefore no longer be organized and practiced in traditional ways only. Effective and efficient nursing care requires a combination of science-based instructions and traditional experiential knowledge. Change and progress are dependent on research. The BMBF has therefore supported nursing care research collaborations with more than €9 million since 2004.

For further information please refer to Newsletter Thema Pflegeforschung (2007).

National Genome Research Network (NGFN)

The National Genome Research Network studies the genetic causes of diseases whose impact is most strongly felt in the national economy. An individual's genes have a considerable influence on whether he/she is likely to develop specific diseases. The NGFN with its globally unique combination of basic/systematic and clinical/disease-oriented genome research is developing new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.

For further information about the National Genome Research network please visit http://www.ngfn.de/englisch/index.htm