Opportunity profile: What happens when Europe gets old?

Germany’s Volkswagen Foundation is funding cross-European projects that tackle the challenges of a greying continent

 Top tips

• Focus your efforts on the pre-proposal as that’s the most competitive part—those that make it to the next stage have a good chance of success.
• Include something on methodology in the pre-proposal but don’t overstuff it—the research idea needs to be clear.
• The foundation is looking to fund research in areas that have not been well researched already, so explain the originality of your idea.
• Highlight the role of junior researchers in the project—ideally there should be a junior researcher employed with each principal investigator.

Few things are as certain in life as ageing and, as average lifespans extend, not only do people age but populations do too. In its revamped funding programme Challenges and Potentials for Europe, Germany’s Volkswagen Foundation has opened a call for research on ageing in Europe.