Group of eminent scientists and research funders met in The Hague to put together vision for action, which will enable the UK to face one of the prime minister's 'Grand Challenges': population ageing
The UK Funders Forum on Ageing Research, chaired by Help the Aged since 2005, is a major alliance of three UK government departments, four research councils and seven charities.
It seeks to improve the funding and organisational support for ageing research.
The conclusions and findings of the workshop will be presented at a major conference in November, which will launch significant new funding for ageing research provided by the four research councils.
Delegates at the workshop heard from experts in fields from genetics to sociology and from disease prevention to economics.
They discussed how scientific research and its future application could help in the fight against age-related diseases like heart attacks and stroke, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes and help add life to years, as well as years to life.
The workshop highlighted the science that, only in the last few years, has challenged our thinking about ageing.
Scientists now have crucial new evidence of how we can extend our youthful years, bringing huge benefits in wealth production and well-being, while reducing the costs of long-term health and social care.
Delegates heard from Professor Richard Topel that over the 20th century, gains in life-expectancy were worth over US$1.2million per person for both men and women.
The potential gains from future innovations in health care are even greater - even a modest 1% reduction in cancer mortality being worth billions of pounds.
Scientists have also found that retiring later can be beneficial - one of the few scientific studies in this area by Geert de Jong had shown that mortality was higher in employees who retired at 55 than in those who continued working.
And other new science has explained how it is now possible for the first time to target nutrition and drug therapies to individuals through genetic matching, improving the treatment of serious illness.
Michael Lake, chair of the Funders Forum on Ageing Research said: "The need for a vision for ageing research was set out by the House of Lords in their recent report on the scientific aspects of ageing, which will be debated in the House on 5 June 2006.
"By coming together in the workshop, this impressive body of scientists and funders have helped to shape that vision for the Forum.
"Improved, well directed and timely research will lead to the developments which will offer us all longer, healthier and happier futures".
Unprecedented growth in the numbers of older people is expected in the 21st century.
By 2031, over 20% of the UK population will be over 65 and the oldest old, those over 85, will treble in number to over three million.
