A Superb Funding Opportunity for changing the Lives of Older People

Submitted by Carole Proctor on Fri, 21/09/2007 - 11:01
Author(s): 
Peter Lansley
Summary: 

The NDA Programme has just announced its first Sand-Pit. This is on Nutrition for Older People.

Sand-Pits are a well-tried approach for generating novel research proposals, and they do work. Basically a Sand-Pit is a five day think-tank which generates proposals of which quite a high proportion are then funded (often with agreement to fund being secured at the end of the five days not months later). But to benefit from this process you have to be on the inside track.

That means applying to take part, and getting selected! There is £2m at stake so it's well worth taking an interest.

Article: 

The Theme of Nutrition in Older People is a superb starting point for what I hope will be many NDA Sand-Pit activities.

For many older people life in the home centres very much on producing meals and working in the kitchen, for themselves, and for visitors. What older people eat, ensuring good nutrition and so on should have a strong appeal to those with a biological perspective, their contribution to this area will be vital, just as the sociology and psychology which accompanies being able to rustle up a pot of tea and a home baked cake for visitors should appeal to social scientists. Kitchen design and (un)packaging of products are just two starting points for the design and engineering buffs, and the health and medical issues in this area are legion for those who take a medical viewpoint. And, the Sand-Pit is looking for participants to bring together their perspectives - a super opportunity to integrate a great deal of scientific expertise.

Nutrition and Life in the Kitchen - offers one of the best areas for the interdisciplinary working which is critical to achieving research which can have a meaningful impact on the quality of life of many older people. So please look at the details and apply for a place on what I can assure you will be the experience of a lifetime (I know, first hand, as Director of the EPSRC Taking Care to The Patient/ Mobile and Distributed Health Care Sand-Pit in 2006).

Hopefully if this Sand-Pit goes well we will be able to persuade NDA to have another one, on Life in the Bathroom (which is the main determinant of the quality of life of many older people).

Don't delay - apply and get selected!