Research and New Knowledge 50+

We aim to strengthen society’s understanding of the transitions and changes that shape life after the age of 50.

Today, around two million people in Denmark are over 50, and according to national population projections, this number will increase by 300,000–400,000 over the next 15 years.

The later stages of adult life are often marked by significant transitions, where both working life and social relationships may shift. This creates a need for new approaches to sustain quality of life and agency.

VELUX FOUNDATION supports research and the generation of new knowledge on challenges and transitions in adult life (50+). We prioritise projects in which researchers and practitioners collaborate to understand how agency can be strengthened and applied in everyday life, and how it interacts with health, functional ability and quality of life in later adulthood.

Research must be clearly application-oriented, ensuring that insights can quickly benefit target groups and practice. The Foundation therefore prioritises interdisciplinary projects that integrate research and practice and contribute to strengthening agency in adult life after 50.

Ageing Research and Sensory Loss
VELUX FOUNDATION supports research in two main areas that, in different ways, help people maintain agency, health and quality of life in the second half of life:

Ageing research brings together gerontology and geriatrics and generates knowledge about the social, psychological and biological changes associated with ageing.
Research in ophthalmology and sensory loss provides knowledge about treatment, coping and everyday life, with the aim of maintaining functional ability and quality of life well into later life.

The overall aim is to strengthen people’s ability to live independently, maintain mobility and orientation, and remain active participants in society throughout later life.

People are living longer than ever before. Over the past 150 years, life expectancy has doubled, and many more people now reach advanced ages. The key question is therefore not whether we live longer, but how these additional years are shaped and what opportunities they offer.

VELUX FOUNDATION supports research on ageing and life transitions because many people are able to remain active and contribute well into later life. This research challenges the perception of old age as a period of decline and instead highlights the resources, experience and relationships that can be brought into play in communities with others.

Across the Foundation’s supported research, functional ability, mobility and mental resilience are shown to be crucial for people’s ability to participate in social communities and take an active role in society later in life. At the same time, new generations are reaching older ages in better physical and cognitive health than before, opening up new ways of understanding adult life, engagement and social connectedness.

For VELUX FOUNDATION, research on later life is not only about individual development, but also about the frameworks and communities in which people live. The Foundation supports knowledge that strengthens participation and social cohesion in a society where more people live longer — and where ageing continues to offer opportunities to contribute, share experience and remain an active part of the community.

Research funding is available under Research and New Knowledge 50+.

VELUX FOUNDATION continuously publishes open and upcoming calls on its website, outlining relevant themes, requirements and deadlines. The Foundation prioritises applied research on transitions and changes in adult life, where research and practice are developed in close collaboration.