Aarhus University contributes to the European Healthy Ageing Agenda
Associate professor Peter Kristensen and Dr. Michelle Williams, Head of Department of Food Science, from Aarhus University, together with colleagues from Essex (UK) and KU Leuven (Belgium) succeeded in engaging the interest of European Commission officials for their project ideas, when Aarhus University co-hosted a seminar on Healthy Ageing Research in Brussels in June. The event opened new doors for future engagement of AU researchers within Horizon 2020.
The next European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation - Horizon 2020 - is expected to prioritise the issue of ‘Personalising Health and Care’ in its first 2 years. The funded projects will help find a way of increasing the healthy life span of European citizens by 2 years - a political goal of the EU for 2020.
In order to position teams of researchers from Aarhus, Essex and Leuven within the political and developing research funding arena, representatives from the European Commission - DG SANCO and DG RTD - where invited to a working seminar in Brussels, the topic of which was: ‘Promoting Integrated Care: New approaches through the use of biomarkers and food to promote healthy ageing’.
The seminar put the health-food and nutrition issue higher up on the European agenda by flagging up the developing gap in support between food and health research.
The event is an example how the close collaboration between support teams in Brussels (Central Denmark EU Office & EU Senior advisor for Aarhus University and East of England EU Office) and in the different hosting institutions (AU Research Support Strategy Team and Research Coordination Office at KU Leuven) could create an opportunity for dialogue with the European Commission and identify the best academic colleagues for the event. Without local support and insider-knowledge from the teams in Brussels events like this can not be arranged.
The seminar took place at the Central Denmark EU Office in Brussels, where EU Senior advisor for Aarhus University, Kirstine Corneliussen Magoola is based. The office provides free, excellent and conveniently located meeting facilities, support and advice for any AU member of staff visiting Brussels.
New interdisciplinary opportunities
The seminar highlighted some opportunities to foster new interdisciplinary links between research groups from the participating institutions, which may develop into future joint projects. The complementary approaches between food and nutrition research at the AU Department of Food Science and the nutrition laboratory at KU Leuven will be explored further.
Data collected during some health related longitudinal studies at Essex University can potentially extend the results of several European research projects (run under AU coordination or with AU involvement) to include a socio-economic angle in future research on biomarkers for healthy ageing.