Infrastructure name


UKDP: Integrated DEmentiA research environment (IDEA)

Institute/location


Various UK Institutes

Key contact


Professor J Williams, Dr R Wade-Martins, Professor IJ Deary, Professor S Love, Professor DJ Burn, Professor JT O'Brien, Professor RA Lyons, Professor P Matthews, Professor TT Warner, Professor M Lambon Ralph

Contact phone number


44 1865 226487

Contact email


[email protected]

Project/infrastructure description


Our objective is to achieve a step-change in UK dementia research capacity through establishing national networks of existing and emerging centres of excellence in imaging, informatics and cell-biology. The UK Dementias Platform (UKDP) is a radically new approach to dementias research, providing a highly efficient and cost-effective translational pipeline from discovery through to early phase trials. UKDP will create closer synergy between epidemiology and experimental medicine with the re-purposing of epidemiologic cohorts for trials readiness. The size and depth of phenotyping available to UKDP will deliver a step-change in the complexity and granularity of dementia related hypothesis testing and accelerate compound development. Proposed here is an infrastructure of investment and collaboration. Underpinning UKDP is a critical mass of researchers and resources that will work together to encourage, facilitate, and develop a fully integrated dementia dedicated UK research environment. This will raise standards, reduce costs, and deliver innovative and coordinated research, to make the UK an internationally unique research environment. Through its partnership with major academic centres and industry, UKDP is well positioned to achieve this goal. Building on the recent MRC investment in UKDP, we propose here to renew and extend the UKDP integrative research environment with an advanced molecular imaging network strategically located to exploit UKDP cohorts. Also proposed is an integrated informatics environment to facilitate the location of and access to both data and bio-samples. The third proposal is for a stem-cells network to promote the use of this important and emerging technology. Each of these elements adds value to existing infrastructure investments and fills significant gaps in the UK research landscape.

Date funding committed


01/04/2015

Date infrastructure operational


Total capital cost (Euros)


€ 46,647,266

Does the 'Total Capital Cost' include other associated costs?


Current infrastructure status


Is this entry applicable to another section of this questionnaire?


Further information available at:


dementia, imaging, informatics, stem cells

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