Capacity-building for interdisciplinary research on aging and health – experiences of graduate level initiatives in a national and international context

Abstract Body:Starting out from a joint Nordic collaboration initiative in 2008 resulting in the development of a Nordic Master Program in Gerontology (NordMaG), followed by the establishment of graduate schools integrated with two national excellence centers for aging research in Sweden, in 2014 the Swedish National Graduate School for Competitive Science on Aging and Health (SWEAH) was established. Structured in three presentations, based on experiences gained over the years we will describe and problematize what is needed for efficient capacity-building for interdisciplinary research on aging and health in a national and international context: Aiming to strengthen knowledge development and exchange in research on aging and health already at the Master’s level, through an integrated approach the NordMaG is linked to the specialization in Aging and Health within the Masters’ Program in Medical Sciences at Lund University (LU), Sweden. The Master’s program is truly interdisciplinary, situated in a research intensive and international educational context, enrolling students from health professions such as nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Integrated in the Centre for Aging and Supportive Environments (CASE) at LU, CASE Graduate School has been running for ten years, graduating 17 PhD students. With high quality interdisciplinary research on aging and supportive environments as the overarching ambition, seminars, courses, journal clubs, workshops and other student driven activities have evolved into a coherent program attracting national as well as international PhD students and guest researchers. Sparked by our experiences, in national competition in 2013 the Swedish Research Council granted funding for the development and establishment of SWEAH. This national graduate school offers a student driven curriculum for affiliated PhD students, open courses, postdoctoral training and networking opportunities, within Europe and beyond. With teaching and learning activities tailored to accommodate different disciplines and research traditions, junior researchers have access to unique resources in a national and international context. Contributing to capacity-building for research on aging and health, CASE and SWEAH are partners of the International Summer School on Aging and Health (ISSA). Taken together, these initiatives have been both challenging and rewarding. Spin-off effects in terms of international engagement and collaboration in supervision teams and examination committees have served to strengthen the interdisciplinary competence and capacity for international collaboration of the management teams and teachers involved.Objective 1:After attending this session, participants will be able to reflect on and discuss capacity-building for interdisciplinary higher education on aging and health in an international context