Funds Support Catalyst Phase in Competition Aimed at Stimulating Bold Ideas to Extend the Healthspan
DENVER, Colo. – NextFifty Initiative today announced its sponsorship of the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Healthy Longevity Global Competition Catalyst Awards. The Global Competition is a multi-year, multi-phase international competition that aims to advance bold, novel ideas that have the potential to improve the health and well-being of people as they age. NextFifty’s sponsorship supports the NAM’ s U.S.-based competition
The Global Competition includes three phases in which innovators can compete for awards: Catalyst, Accelerator, and Grand Prize, with prize amounts increasing at each level.
Last week, the NAM and its global collaborators* announced the winners of the 2022 Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards at its annual Global Innovator Summit. Researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs across a variety of disciplines submitted more than 1,200 applications, with 130 of these being selected as Catalyst Award winners (25 in the U.S.).
“Since its inception, NextFifty Initiative has worked to be an engine for innovation that transforms aging,” said Joie Glenn, board chair for Next Fifty Initiative. “We are pleased to support the National Academy of Medicine and its Healthy Longevity Global Competition in its quest to identify potentially ‘bold and transformative innovations to extend human health and function later in life.’”
Other sponsors of the U.S.-based awards include Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Bia Echo & Yun Family Foundations.
Three Colorado-based projects were selected for a 2022 Catalyst Award:
- Financial Decision Making: Identification of Financial Vulnerability and Early detection of Cognitive Impairment
Eric Chess, Knoebel Institute of Healthy Aging - Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor: A Novel Agent for Reproductive Longevity and Equality
Leslie Appiah, The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology - AI-Based Conversational Agent for Monitoring Cognitive Health of Older Adults
Mohammad Mahoor, DreamFace Technologies, LLC
As part of the Global Competition’s commitment to share knowledge and stimulate an entire field by not only rewarding innovative ideas but also sharing those ideas with the world, project summaries are available at www.healthylongevitychallenge.org.
*NAM’s global collaborators, also issuing Catalyst Awards in 2022, include the Academia Sinica of Taiwan; Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; EIT Health of the European Union; Agency for Medical Research and Development of Japan; Ministry of Health and National Research Foundation of Singapore; National Agency for Research and Development of Chile; Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; and UK Research and Innovation.
About the National Academy of Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine, established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the nation and the international community. Through its domestic and global initiatives, the NAM works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy and inspire positive action across sectors. The NAM collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
About NextFifty Initiative
NextFifty Initiative is a Colorado-based, private foundation funding efforts to improve the lives of older adults and their caregivers. The foundation works with community leaders, experts in the field of aging, and front-line professionals to support programs and projects that positively impact aging and longevity. They focus on education, sharing best practices, and supporting innovation that will transform aging for generations to come. In 2021, NextFifty Initiative awarded grants of roughly $12 million. To learn more, visit www.Next50Initiative.org.
For questions, contact:
Amy Daly, Director of Communications
NextFifty Initiative
303.590.9995
amyd@next50initiative.org