Optimising ageing research
Europe's population is ageing, a trend that has deep social and economic implications. Future policies and strategies need to address the widespread changes that this major societal shift will bring. However, to be effective, any actions need a sound knowledge base and accurate data. These will be provided by SHARE, a long-term survey of health, ageing and retirement involving over 2 700 researchers from different disciplines and 48 000 respondents from 17 countries. The EU-funded project 'Longitudinal enhancement and access improvement of the SHARE infrastructure' (SHARE_LEAP) supported this major research effort and ensured that it maximised its potential. A key part of SHARE_LEAP was to remain in contact with respondents so they could be interviewed over several years. This was crucial to the scientific value of the survey as its methodology depended on interviewing the same people over several years. Team members improved the research potential by expanding the project database, using innovative information technology (IT) solutions and new interview tools. SHARE_LEAP also enhanced the survey instruments by gathering user feedback from the previous waves of surveys. With such a large number of researchers, SHARE_LEAP played a vital role in managing the user network, as well as maintaining and improving the central project website. The project has helped to maximise the potential of research into ageing — one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century and an issue that affects society as a whole.
