NEW funding has been announced at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) to help grow innovative research to improve the lives of people living with dementia.
The organisational Seedcorn Fund from RS Macdonald Charitable Trust, which will help grow a community of dementia researchers, was announced by the Alzheimer Scotland Centre for Policy and Practice (ASCPP).
It will create opportunities for particularly early career researchers (ECRs) and those new to dementia research from all four academic schools at the university, to realise their research ambitions.
Professor Milan Radosavljevic, vice-principal of research, innovation and engagement at UWS, said: “The new Seedcorn Fund will enable early career researchers from across the institution to make a real and transformational impact on the lives of others through groundbreaking dementia research.
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“Our academics play a crucial role in creating a vibrant dementia-related education, research and enterprise activity. I look forward to seeing how the Seedcorn Fund will enable further pioneering research in this hugely critical area.”
The funding announcement came as the ASCPP’s annual report was published, with a focus on its signature educational approach, Care Empathia.
It also highlighted that, over the past 12 months, the centre had, in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, led on the delivery of the new Dementia Champions 2021, a Scottish Government-funded programme for more than 150 aspiring champions.
ASCPP said the Wendy Baxter Scholarship saw it welcome a new scholar and two new doctoral research students supported through UWS studentships enabled by a legacy donation from the family of the late Dr Wendy Baxter, a palliative care consultant who was diagnosed with dementia.
Centre director, Professor Debbie Tolson, added: “It has been another remarkable year for the Centre, with so many amazing milestones despite the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic.”
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