News – News
Longitude Prize on Dementia launches with £4.42m pot for assistive tech
26 September 2022
- Challenge Works
- Global Health Programme Manager
- Ruth Neale
Around 50 million people worldwide are living with dementia – a devastating condition that can ruin lives, stripping individuals of memories, relationships and identity. That number is predicted to increase to 153 million by 2050.
While there is not yet a cure, remaining independent in your own home and avoiding hospital admission is one of the best ways to slow the progression of the disease.
Technology is already transforming care for people living with dementia, but to date has mostly focused on products that monitor a person’s vital signs, activity or whereabouts, providing data to carers and family members. But there is a possibility that people living with dementia risk becoming passengers in their own care.
Cutting-edge technology focused on helping people living with dementia live enjoyable and fulfilling lives
Recent leaps in artificial intelligence and machine learning offer us the opportunity to strike a balance that complements these existing technologies. The tech that already powers our phones, TVs, social media apps, smart speakers and even our cars, could be applied to assistive technologies to be used by people living with dementia.
The Longitude Prize on Dementia is calling on innovators around the world to apply the power of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to develop technologies that can bridge the cognitive gaps that develop when a person’s dementia progresses.
£4.42 million to be awarded
The prize will award a total of £4.42 million to drive the creation of personalised, technology-based tools for people living with dementia. Of this, £3.42 million will be awarded in seed funding and development grants to the most promising solutions to the prize challenge, with a £1 million first prize to be awarded in 2026.
Funded by the UK’s leading dementia charity, Alzheimer’s Society, and Innovate UK – the UK’s innovation agency, innovators can enter their solutions to the prize until January 2023. The prize has been designed and is being delivered by innovation experts Challenge Works.
The prize has received generous support from three UK donors via Alzheimer’s Society: The Hunter Foundation, CareTech Foundation and Heather Corrie. The prize has also received funding from the Medical Research Council which funds research at the forefront of science to prevent illness, develop therapies and improve human health.
Co-designed with people living with dementia
The prize has been designed in collaboration with people living with dementia, who will also be involved in the judging process at every stage. It will support innovators to work in collaboration with people living with the disease to develop technological solutions that support the people who need it most.
In addition, wider support will provide innovators with crucial insight and expertise, facilitating whatever they need to bring their ideas to life.his includes access to data, collaborations with people living with dementia and dementia organisations in the UK and globally, as well as advice on product design, user experience and business mentoring.
Partnerships
We have partnered with a number of international organisations to reach out to innovators across the world and finalise the non-financial support programme, including: AARP (US), AgeWell (Canada), MedTeq+ (Canada), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Social Tech Trust (UK) and Amazon Web Services (UK).
The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) in Canada are interested in co-funding Canadian specific innovator activities and the UK’s National Institute for Research Health (NIHR) are funding a rigorous assessment study of the solutions in development in the finalist phase which will be led by a group of academic evaluation experts.
How to win
The period for entries closes on 26 January 2023, 12pm GMT.
At each stage of judging, entries will also be reviewed by the prize’s Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) – where people with early-stage dementia are invited to review the designs, ideas and give insights into how technologies could support and enable independent living. The thoughts and feedback of the LEAP will be considered by the prize judges.
- In May 2023, the 24 most promising solutions will progress and each receive £80k Discovery Awards as well as non-financial capacity building support to develop their solutions over the course of 12 months.
- In August 2024, five finalists will be selected and each receive an additional £300k to progress their solution to become a working product.
- In February 2026, one of the five finalists will be selected as a winner and be awarded £1 million.
The winning solution will use the latest advances in technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, in combination with user data and testing, to provide personalised support for people living with dementia.
Innovators with game-changing technologies and solutions that support people living with dementia live enjoyable, fulfilling and independent lives, can find out more about applying to the Longitude Prize on Dementia here.
Upcoming activities
Hackathon Workshops (November 2022): Two workshops will be held in collaboration with partners. During these workshops, prospective applicants will be:
-
- Introduced to the requirements of the prize;
- Connected with subject matter experts from the dementia field;
- Network and connect with other individuals and organisations to build teams based on the required skill set;
- Adapt their potential solution within scope of the Challenge.
Ask us Anything Sessions (December 2022 & January 2023): To further support prospective applicants we will be hosting two ‘ask us anything’ sessions.
