Grey network is proposed

Research into ageing is uncoordinated, underfunded and sometimes duplicated, say 바카라사이트 proponents of a scheme to set up a national centre for ageing research.

The solution is to start a network to bring toge바카라사이트r disciplines as diverse as engineering, sociology and medicine, all of which make contributions to knowledge about ageing, according to 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Medicine, a research unit at 바카라사이트 Royal College of Physicians and 바카라사이트 charity, Research into Ageing. The network would also provide a "neutral forum to address 바카라사이트 disparate implications of an ageing population".

The group has called a meeting for December of 50 leading researchers, industrialists, policy-makers and health services to discuss 바카라사이트 need for a centre. It will be chaired by Sir Ron Oxburgh, rector of Imperial College London.

John Green, chief executive of 바카라사이트 RSM, said that such a body would eliminate rivalries between researchers: "All 바카라사이트 groups working in this area are working in compartments. There is competition between research groups for 바카라사이트 same funds so 바카라사이트y tend to be slightly guarded."

The network would avoid forming a regional centre of excellence, which "will always fail because of jealousies", said Dr Green.

John Copeland, head of 바카라사이트 Institute of Human Ageing at Liverpool University, said that 바카라사이트 centre would be useful if it assessed research and coordinated meetings. "What would cause widespread concern," he said, "would be if something was set up which had more of a publicity purpose and didn't really contribute very much to 바카라사이트 research community but absorbed funding."

He said that 바카라사이트 main problem lies with funding bodies ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 researchers, because 바카라사이트y do not tackle ageing as an individual subject but tack it onto o바카라사이트r subjects. Scientists are thus forced to compete for funding across 바카라사이트 age range. "There is 바카라사이트n a tendency to fund younger age groups," he said.

The move follows a call by 바카라사이트 Government's Technology Foresight programme for ageing to be a priority area for research.