The neurodegenerative disease currently affects more than 944,000 people in the UK.
University College London (UCL) and the University of Exeter will jointly lead a new national Dementia Network Plus initiative, with funding of more than £1.7 million.
The Sustainable Prevention, Innovation and Engagement Network (SPIINNET) supports new projects and works with communities to help reduce the risk of dementia and improve the experience of people living with dementia.
More than 944,000 people in the UK live with dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that affects memory, thinking and decision-making abilities in everyday life.
The new network will bring together researchers and professional organisations from 14 universities, including King’s College London, University of Plymouth, Bangor, Cardiff Metropolitan, East Anglia, Northampton, Nottingham, Oxford, Southampton, Stirling, Strathclyde, Sunderland and Worcestershire.
SPIINNET aims to leverage existing networks and umbrella organisations to deliver programmes that connect the experience, knowledge and resources of people across the network whilst improving the quality of experience for people with dementia, their families, communities, the NHS and social care.
This includes workshops to design research projects, training events, funding for innovative ideas, conferences to raise awareness about dementia and its prevention, and an annual conference to share learning.
Network co-leader Professor Chris Fox from the University of Exeter said: “This funding will enable our new (network) to carry out cutting-edge research to prevent dementia and help people with dementia get help early so they can live the best possible lives.
“We hope that our work over the next four years will make a meaningful contribution to brain health, particularly for people from at-risk and under-represented communities,” said network co-leader Dr Georgina Charlesworth, from UCL’s School of Psychology and Language Sciences.
Last month, the Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia UK, Alzheimer’s Research UK, UK Dementia Research and Alzheimer Scotland joined forces to launch a new Dementia StatementThey called on the new UK government to make dementia a key health priority for the UK.
