UKAgeNet/DMT Discipline Hopping Awards

Support for PhD members of the DMT Academy or PhD students based in UKAgeNet member institutions working in the field of ageing and age-related diseases to train in new disciplines, thereby promoting interdisciplinarity.

UKAgeNet is a cross-disciplinary initiative that brings together national centres, institutes, networks and research groups in the field of ageing research. Based in the UK, the Dunhill Medical Trust (DMT) supports academic and clinical researchers to understand the mechanisms of ageing and treat age-related diseases and frailty.

The UKAgeNet/DMT Discipline Hopping Awards support PhD students in the field of ageing and age-related diseases to train in a new discipline and promote interdisciplinarity across researchers based in institutions who are part of UKAgeNet or members of the DMT Academy.

The proposed project can be an extension of the PhD programme of work, a new interdisciplinary angle or a new project. Involvement of supervisors is an advantage, but not essential, provided there is a letter of support. The scheme aims to:

• Allow PhD students to work directly with stakeholders to accelerate impact (ie with policymakers and non-governmental organisations.
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in ageing research.
• Facilitate the development of interdisciplinary skills of the next generation of ageing researchers by immersing them in environments that challenge traditional academic silos.
• Develop vital new research collaborations across disciplines in the main challenge areas related to the field of ageing.
• Facilitate the sharing of insight and learning and establish synergies and connections needed for the integration of the biomedical and the social- based sciences needed to tackle challenges holistically.

Discipline hopping is defined as traversing the biological/biomedical to the social sciences (or vice versa), or hopping from sector to sector (eg academia to policymaking institutions). The project/activity must clearly align with one of the broad areas covered by the remits of the UKAgeNet network and the DMT Academy, and must be of clear benefit to the future career development of the PhD student.