A new national dementia network involving leading researchers at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been set up thanks to a £1.7million funding award.

Led by the University of Exeter and University College London (UCL), the National Dementia Network Plus brings together people with dementia, researchers and other communities, to reduce risks and encourage early support in dementia, through innovative research and collaboration.

The network is one of only four in the country and combines research power from 14 universities with specialist organisations. This includes the National Institute of Health and Care Exeter Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR Exeter BRC) and the HeathTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation (HRC), which are lead in partnership between the Royal Devon and the University of Exeter.

The new Sustainable Prevention, Innovation and INvolvement NETwork (SPIINNET) will aim to reduce dementia risk and improve people’s experience of living with dementia by supporting new projects and engaging with communities, with hubs in Wales, Scotland and England.

A Dementia Network Plus is a strategic investment by the Economic Social research Council (ESRC), the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Alzheimer’s Society.

Read more on the University of Exeter website.