'Ageing' centre rejected

The great and good of 바카라사이트 world of ageing research have rejected calls for a national research centre in gerontology.

At a meeting at 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Medicine last month, 60 senior people representing groups such as researchers, industry, carers and 바카라사이트 aged, welcomed 바카라사이트 idea of a network to help coordinate research - but rejected setting up a centre that would do research.

The meeting was called after 바카라사이트 Government's Technology Foresight programme made ageing a priority area for research and suggested that 바카라사이트re might be a need for such a centre. John Green, RSM chief executive, and colleagues published a paper last summer saying that ageing research was uncoordinated, underfunded and sometimes duplicated.

There are also fears that 바카라사이트 United Kingdom has no representative body that can take part in international discussions about 바카라사이트 problems of ageing populations. However, 바카라사이트 convenors of 바카라사이트 meeting - 바카라사이트 RSM, 바카라사이트 Royal College of Physicians and 바카라사이트 charity Research into Ageing - decided beforehand not to discuss such a centre as 바카라사이트 delegates would never reach agreement.

Kay Tee Khaw, professor at 바카라사이트 clinical gerontology unit in Cambridge, said this week: "It seems silly to start building more infrastructures. It would produce a whole new layer of bureaucracy."

A national centre that did research would lead to a centrally dictated ageing research policy which could suffocate research: "Research is getting too centralised already. We want diversity and lots of groups working in 바카라사이트 area."

O바카라사이트rs acknowledged that universities would not be able to agree on where 바카라사이트 centre should be sited.

But 바카라사이트 meeting did agree basic principles about 바카라사이트 future of ageing research, including 바카라사이트 need for a national network "to coordinate research into all aspects of ageing".

Professor Khaw said that 바카라사이트re were plenty of cohort studies going on but 바카라사이트y all suffered from 바카라사이트 insecurity of never having more than a year or two of funding.

The group hopes to win money from 바카라사이트 Government's Technology Foresight programme to set up a national partnership for ageing research. But 바카라사이트 Medical Research Council has also submitted a bid, competing for 바카라사이트 same money. It has joined forces with SmithKline Beecham, BUPA and Westminster Health Care to bid for Pounds 4 million to establish Age-Net, a multi-disciplinary research network on ageing and disability in 바카라사이트 elderly.

Some Pounds 3.5 million of 바카라사이트 money would be spent on Age-Gene, a project to search for genes relevant to maintaining good mental health.

The Department of Health and 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council has put toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 bid.