Applications open for North East startups to take part in ageing accelerator programme

Today (February 6), the Innovation SuperNetwork has opened applications for regional businesses and startups developing solutions in the ageing sector to take part in its Ageing Innovation Accelerator programme.

The announcement comes as experts in the field, Professor Joseph F Coughlin, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, AgeLab) and Stephen Johnson (Aging2.0), joined delegates attending the third Ageing Innovation Accelerator workshop in Newcastle.

Stephen Johnston, founder of the global ageing innovation network Aging2.0, said: “At Aging2.0, we are tracking eight Grand Challenges facing our ageing populations.

“I was excited to see some of the fantastic ideas already in development by the current cohort of businesses and entrepreneurs taking part in the ageing innovation accelerator.

“With applications now open for the full accelerator, I’m looking forward to seeing which ideas are taken forward to commercial realisation and hope to see how they impact positively on society in the not too distant future.”

Today’s event featured a discussion led by Prof Coughlin, who founded MIT’s pioneering AgeLab, on the opportunities arising from the longevity economy to inspire creative responses to the challenges facing an ageing community.

The programme is offering £12,500 of investment from the North East Innovation Fund supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Northstar Ventures.

Six months office space on Newcastle Helix is also being made available courtesy of Newcastle City Council.