SPHERE project wins MRC dementia award

Bristol is one of six universities to receive a Momentum award from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to develop the UK’s research base in dementia science.

The Momentum awards, totalling £4.3 million, are designed to support the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI), and will help open new research avenues which could transform the potential of dementia research in the UK.

The interdisciplinary award recognises the University’s EPSRC-funded SPHERE project (Sensor Platform for Healthcare in a Residential Environment), which will develop novel computational approaches to analyse behaviour and derive ‘signatures’ relevant to dementia based on health-related behaviours at home. This work will be supported by the University’s strengths in neuroscience and population health, alongside the recruitment of a ‘rising’ star to lead the project.

The other recipients are the universities of Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester and Oxford, and King’s College London.