Mapping dementia research funding in the UK for the NIHR Three Schools' Dementia Programme

About the client

The Care Policy and Evaluation Centre (CPEC) at the London School of Economics is a leading international research centre focusing on the economics and policy of health and social care. Thanks to the NIHR Three Schools’ Dementia Programme funding, I worked alongside Professor Martin Knapp to produce the most comprehensive compilation of dementia research funding in the UK to date, providing a data-driven picture of the research landscape at a pivotal time for the field.

Challenge

With dementia remaining the leading cause of death in the UK and annual costs estimated at £42 billion, there was a need to map out who is funding what, where the strengths and gaps lie, and what the research community sees as the key priorities. This required compiling data from multiple open repositories, developing sophisticated analytical methods to categorise a diverse grant portfolio, and capturing expert perspectives from across the field.

Approach

Drawing on open data and advanced analytical techniques, I:

• Compiled and analysed 1,092 active dementia research grants with a combined annualised value of £131 million for 2024, sourcing data from multiple open repositories including NIHR, UKRI, Europe PMC, and the European Commission.

• Developed a complex analytical pipeline combining Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modelling, vector embeddings, and large language models to identify, categorise and describe eight distinct research themes across the UK’s dementia grant portfolio — from fundamental molecular mechanisms to applied therapeutic interventions and diagnostic technologies.

• Conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with leading dementia researchers and funders to capture expert perspectives on recent developments, key initiatives such as the Blood Biomarker Challenge and the Dementia Trials Accelerator, and the barriers that continue to impede progress in the field.

• Performed a gender analysis of nearly 2,000 researchers named across the grant dataset, uncovering significant disparities influenced by career stage and research area — with male researchers dominating senior roles and biomarker research, while female researchers more frequently led applied interventions and dementia care studies.

• Synthesised findings into strategic recommendations spanning data transparency, diagnostic innovation, technology in care, prevention research, diversification of funding streams, gender equity, and regional balance.

Outcomes

The resulting report — published in collaboration with Professor Knapp — provides the UK dementia research community with an evidence base to inform strategic planning across funders, institutions, and policymakers. It demonstrates how the research landscape is distributed thematically, geographically and by funder, and identifies areas where coordinated action could accelerate progress — from expanding prevention research to building clearer pathways for technology innovation in dementia care.

This project coincided with important developments in the field — from the regulatory approval of new disease-modifying therapies to advances in blood-based biomarkers — making the timing of this landscape analysis particularly relevant. Working with Professor Knapp and the CPEC team offered a front-row seat to the breadth and dynamism of dementia research in the UK, and to the dedication of the researchers and funders working to improve the lives of the approximately one million people living with dementia in this country.